As We Stumble Along
by Baine
Summary: Sakura Kita High is a school with a reputation for being the smartest in the country.   The only problem?  No boys allowed!  What's a guy supposed to do in order to learn with the best? Disguise himself as a female, of course!  UminoNaru MamoruUsagi.
1. Chapter 1

As We Stumble Along

Chapter 1/?  
By Baine  
Email: ladybaine at gmail dot com  
Written: January 19th, 2007

Posted: June 30th, 2007

***—(number)** _Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story._

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**As We Stumble Along  
Chapter One  
****«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

"Banzai!"

Fists pummeled the air and the afternoon's silence was shattered by whoops and cheers. Adults rolled their eyes and vowed to buy earplugs for next time, though they all knew they'd forget how bad the noise _really_ was and make the same pledge to themselves next year, as they had last year and the year before it and the one before that.

It wasn't a strategic move to build an office complex across from a school, especially a high school, where kids tended to be ruder and more rambunctious than the younger children to begin with. Of course, the teenagers streaming out of the school gates weren't aware of the ruckus they were causing. Instead, they were glad to have a month of vacation before school started up again in September. Summer had officially arrived.** *-1**

For the juniors, the upcoming vacation felt particularly liberating because the following summer, they would have to buckle down and spend their days studying for the college entrance exams. This sense of fleeting freedom made them louder than everyone else combined.

One such junior, a sixteen-year-old male with a head of auburn hair, pushed his bangs off his forehead as he wiped away the sweat forming on his face with his handkerchief, his hazel eyes twinkling as he laughed at his friends' antics.

A lanky boy with jet-black hair walked up behind him and slung an arm across his shoulders. "Hey, Shrimp, ready for vacation?"

The shorter boy glowered. "You know, Mamoru, just because you're a giant who hit puberty early doesn't mean you can tease me about the fact that I have yet to experience a growth-spurt."

The dark-haired man threw back his head and laughed. "That's what you've been saying for the past two years, Shortie. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were a girl."

"Just because you prefer girls that come up to your chest so that you can peer down at them and feel manly doesn't mean it isn't possible to have a relationship with a girl your own height, or slightly shorter. At least I don't have to bend so far down to kiss a girl that I get a crick in my neck."

"Touché, my friend." Mamoru stumbled backwards and mimed pulling a dagger from his heart. "Then again, you'll never be tall enough to be able to see down her shirt at the rate you're going at."

Mamoru straightened with a grin as a girl with long blond hair came running up to them, her skirt hitched up above her knees now that school was out, showing off her long, gleaming legs. She threw them a megawatt smile. "Mamoru, Umino! I'm glad I caught you. We're all getting together for some karaoke over at Crown. 'Toki said he'd get us in for free. Are you in?"

Mamoru threw the girl a roguish smile. "Absolutely, Mins, wouldn't miss it for the world—especially if Umino here gets as drunk as he did last time. I could go for hearing him warble another song by The Police in bad English."

"Hey!" The shorter boy pouted, brushing his bangs out of his eyes once more. "You weren't any better and you know it."

"Yeah, well, I'm not a lightweight like you."

The blonde laughed. "You two will never change, will you?"

"Nope."

She strung herself between both boys and grabbed onto their hands, pulling them away from the school.

"Mins, slow down. Why do you have so much energy, anyway?"

She grinned cheekily. "What, I can't just be happy that school's out?"

"...No."

She swatted Mamoru playfully on the shoulder. "You're such a jerk."

"And yet you're still here."

"Well, you can't get rid of me that easily, after all!"

The three continued to laugh and tease one another as they entered Crown and walked toward their private room.

Umino froze as a TV screen in the corner of the room caught his eye. Standing behind a microphone, a woman with dark-blue hair stood answering questions for the press. Noticing the way he was absorbed in watching the TV, Mamoru sighed and moved in front of his friend so that he was unable to see the screen.

Umino gritted his teeth. "Mamoru, get out of the way so I can see. Mizuno Ami is holding a press junket to discuss her breakthrough discovery concerning stem cell research!"

"Seriously?" Mamoru gazed at the screen in interest, causing Minako to sigh in exasperation.

"I'll go tell the others that we've lost you two nerds to the world of medicine."

"Okay, Mina, you do that," Umino muttered, his eyes never leaving the screen.

Neither boy noticed that she had left as they sat down to watch the conference. When it was over, they began to debate the merits of the break-through and whether or not it would prove to be as revolutionary as everyone was saying.

Umino, of course, felt that anything touched by Mizuno Ami had the ability to be transformed into gold. He had idolized her ever since he first saw her on live television and hoped to one day be as smart as she was.

"You know," he mused, catching his friend's attention, "It's really not fair."

"What's not?"

"Mizuno Ami is _so_ smart."

"Well, she did go to the best high school in Japan, which allowed her to get into the best college and graduate early."

"I know. It isn't fair. We'll never have that opportunity since Sakura Kita is an all-girls school. Last I checked, we didn't have boobs." He gave his friend a side-long glance. "Well, _I_ don't, anyway."

"Sucks, doesn't it?" Mamoru threw his hands behind his head and leaned backwards, ignoring his friend's jibe.

"Yeah, what I wouldn't give to be that smart..."

Mamoru stood and rolled his broad shoulders to work out the kinks. "Anyway, we should probably head inside before the others wonder what happened to us."

"Please," Umino scoffed. "If they've consumed as much alcohol as they did last time we were here, they probably won't remember that we exist at the moment."

The two boys laughed and began their debate anew as they headed into a nearby room to meet their friends.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

"You know," Minako, mused, pulling her straw in and out of her glass as though it were the most fascinating thing that she had ever seen, "You really need to get your hair cut, Umino. If it gets any longer, people will start to think you're a girl."

Mamoru laughed uproariously at the comment. "See, even Minako thinks that you're a girl. If you keep it up, I bet even Mizuno Ami wouldn't know you were a guy."

Umino frowned as he threw back his last drink of the night. He reached up to touch his hair. "Is it really that bad?"

A blond named Motoki slapped his hand against Umino's shoulder and slurred, "You bet. Another month and you'll have enough hair to make small pigtails."

"Pigtails...?" He pulled on a lock of hair thoughtfully. "I wonder..."

"Let me guess, you're thinking about cross-dressing now?" Motoki chortled drunkenly, believing himself to be the wittiest person to ever grace the face of Earth.

Umino's eyes narrowed and he was about to respond when he came up with a brilliant idea. Of course, any idea can seem like an epiphany when your mind has been befuddled by alcohol. This proved to be no different for Umino and his friends.

"You know," he murmured, peering at them as he placed his cup back onto the table, "that's an _excellent_ idea."

Motoki looked at him, startled. "You seriously want to become a cross-dresser? Umino, look, I didn't mean—"

"No, listen! I can't get into Sakura Kita because I'm not a girl, right?"

"Yeah..."

"So, being the brilliant genius that I am, I've decided to infiltrate the school in disguise!" He turned to face his friends. "Mamoru, you always tease me about how I'm as short as a girl, right? If I grow out my hair, I could easily pull it off."

Mamoru brought a hand to his chest. "As you said earlier, you don't have boobs."

"I'll do what Minako does and buy a push-up bra. They were invented because so many girls are flat as boards themselves, right?"

"Hey! My boobs are _real_, thank you very much!" Minako protectively held a hand to her chest. She pursed her lips and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "We'd have to do something about your face. Your features are much too masculine."

"My little brother has these huge, hulking glasses that take up half his face because his eyesight is so bad. I bet it isn't hard to get a non-prescriptive pair."

Motoki nodded. "And we can get you some lip gloss or whatever the hell it is that girls like to slather across their lips. Maybe we could pierce your ears and—"

"No way!" Umino clapped a hand over his ears. "Not happening."

"But, Umino—"

"Motoki, shush. We can buy him clip-ons. Some schools don't allow students to pierce their ears until after they've graduated, anyway."

"True," Motoki smirked. "What about his legs? They definitely aren't as nice-looking as a girl's."

Minako's eyes widened. "Oh, I can teach you how to shave!"

Umino shook his head. "You are _not_ coming near me with a sharp object."

"But, Umino—"

"No way! Besides, how hard can it be? I know how to shave my face, after all. It can't be _that_ much different, can it?"

Minako smirked. "Whatever you say, stud. Just don't let them see you with a shadow on your face or you're screwed."

The four plotted throughout the night, rationalizing how to transform Umino into a girl. They did such a thorough job that once they were sober again, it _still_ made sense.

Of course, even the best-laid plans have the tendency to fall apart, especially the ones formed while intoxicated, since the mind isn't coherent enough to see possible holes in the canvas of the idea…

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**Cultural Note #1:** The Japanese school calendar doesn't start/end at the same time as most other countries. The school year starts in early April. "Summer Vacation" begins at the end of July and runs until the end of August. Many students study for entrance exams or go to cram school continue on with club activities and go to school despite the fact that there are no classes.

**Author's Note #1:** So, earlier this year I was trying to come up with a story that revolved around Umino/Naru because they get so little love of their own. They're always minor characters that authors tend to ignore rather thin utilize. I was trying to think of a story, but wasn't inspired until after watching an episode of the Taiwanese drama _Hana Kimi_.

I've since stopped watching that drama because I didn't care for the actress, but I'm really happy to announce that there will be a Japanese version of the drama based on the manga starting this coming Tuesday! Not only that, it stars Oguri Shun, who played Rui in _Hana Yori Dango_. That man is such an amazing actor. I'm drooling already. Plus, Horikita Maki (who starred in _Nobuta wo Produce_) is in it, and from the preview, she's going to do a much better job than Ella did with the T-Version! I'm really, really excited for the launch, so I'm releasing the first chapter of this fic today as a celebration.

I plan for this story to be vastly different from _Hana Kimi_, of course. Then again, it's a male in the situation, so it's already different. Added to that, I'm keeping closer to Umino's character by having his reasoning be due to intellect rather than following a crush. I haven't seen anyone do the story from a male perspective, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been done.

The title of the piece, "As We Stumble Along," was taken from a Broadway musical entitled _The Drowsy Chaperone_. It's such an interesting name and I think it really suits the piece, don't you?

I'd like to thank Loki from Aria's Ink and The Lone Pig from SMRFF for being my "male beta readers." They're going to spot-check my writing to make sure it isn't too "feminine," since I'm obviously not a guy and wouldn't know. I'd also like to thank SMRFF's Sailor Elysia for answering some last-minute editing questions before this posted as well as Loki (for guest-editing) and my editor Kel (also hailing from the SMRFF Yahoo! Group).

I have the first few chapters of this written already, but if you have any interesting situations/ideas, please feel free to throw them my way! They may have already been done or planned, but there's also a chance that it's a fresh, new idea that would be perfect for the story. If I use the idea, you'll even have fifteen minutes of fame by being mentioned in my fabulous Author Notes. ^.~ 

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or Email ladybaine at gmail dot com today!

**«·´`·.(*·.¸(`·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·*).·´`·»  
«·´¨*·.¸¸. *Baine*.¸¸.·*¨`·»  
«·´`·.(¸.·´(¸.·* *·.¸)`·.¸).·´`·»**


	2. Chapter 2

As We Stumble Along

Chapter 2/?  
By Baine  
Email: ladybaine at gmail dot com  
Written: June 7th, 2007

Posted: August 4th, 2007

***—(number)** _Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story._

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**As We Stumble Along  
Chapter Two  
****«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

It was a man's paradise. Every which way you turned, there were girls with pouting lips and gleaming hair, their skirts riding high against their thighs and showing off miles of tan, glowing skin.

Umino gulped nervously. He didn't think he could do this after all—especially if all of these girls made it so that he was going to have to walk around campus with a permanent hard-on.

He swallowed again and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. It was going to be weird to go from being one of Nishi-gashi's hottest juniors to one of Sakura Kita's ugliest, that was for sure. He took a deep breath and focused his mind as he reminded himself of the reason for doing this to begin with.

Umino scowled as Mamoru shoved a purse at him and draped an arm across his shoulders, steering him toward the dormitories.

"Are you _sure_ you're not gay, Mamoru?"

"Absolutely," Mamoru flashed a smile at two girls who walked past, causing them to giggle and shoot him an appreciative glance. "I'm jealous, Umino—look at all these girls!"

"Not that I can date them or anything."

"So introduce them to your handsome best friend."

"Why are you here again?"

"Moral support, of course. Besides, it will increase your popularity to have me draped across your shoulders. I bet all the girls already want to be your friend."

"You're so full of it."

Mamoru grinned roguishly. "I know." He stopped abruptly as a tall girl with endless legs walked past. "By the way, if she turns out to be your new roommate, I'll never speak to you again."

Whistling under his breath as the brunette turned to glance back at him, he managed to grit out, "Damn, you're one lucky guy."

Umino could almost see the drool pooling at the corner of his friend's mouth. "Hey, you could have done this with me, but no. You'd rather make fun of me. Just rewards, my friend."

Pulling his key out and unlocking the door to his new room, he sucked in a breath of air, making a hissing sound with his teeth. "Shit," he muttered, staring around the half-decorated room. It was so...flowery and...pink. It felt like he'd been thrown into a bubble-gum factory. Umino winced. Looking around again, it was as though he'd been sucker-punched. This was real. He had managed to infiltrate the school. Would he be able to pull it off without getting caught?

Looking around to make sure Umino's roommate wasn't hiding somewhere, Mamoru snickered as he plopped atop the empty bed. "Just rewards, all right. Hopefully your side of the room will match hers."

Umino swore once more. "Why did I pick neutral sheets again? They're not girly at all. It's going to be so obvious."

"Chill, its cool, not all girls are so...frilly. Take my sister, for example."

"Dude, she's Goth." Umino sunk onto the bed and buried his head in his hands. "I should have just listened to Mina."

"All that pink would make you sicker than if you drank a bottle of Pepto-Bismol." Mamoru shrugged and got to his feet, seeming to tower over Umino as his head loomed close to the ceiling.

Grabbing a book and throwing it on the bed, he produced his pocketknife and cut through the tape. Pulling out a lacy blue square, he tossed it in the air. "What's this, the feminine version of a basketball?"

Umino frowned. "According to Mina, it's a pillow. I'd forgotten about those. She said that if I was going to do solid colors, I should at least throw in some fancy pillows to add a touch of girliness."

"Fancy is right." Mamoru bent the pillow, testing its flexibility. "This'll be hell on your neck."

"I have a normal pillow, too. Apparently, those are just for decoration; you don't actually use them." He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Girls."

Leaning towards the box, he pulled out the rest of his bedding. "I'll take care of this. I don't trust you not to short-sheet me. You can start unpacking my suitcase."

"Sure," Mamoru replied as he glanced over at the dresser. "It looks like there's only one set, though. I guess you're sharing. Better not put any manly stuff in here." He pulled open the first drawer and laughed.

"What?"

Pulling out a lacy white bra, he wiggled it in the air. "She'll get suspicious if you don't have any of these."

"I do. They're just...heavily padded. How do you think I managed to pull off today's chest bumps without a bra?"

Mamoru gagged. "I hadn't noticed. I would never think to check out _your_ chest. Thanks for that image."

"Anytime."

Mamoru dangled the bra from his finger, and Umino could almost see the wheels turning in his friend's head as visions of chesty girls pranced through his imagination. "I doubt you'll get confused with what belongs to whom. She seems...much better endowed compared to you, my dear."

"Shove it."

Grinning as he replaced the bra, Mamoru poked at an equally frilly pile of underwear. "Here's something we didn't think about."

"What's that?"

"Your underwear isn't girly at all. You can't even pretend it is."

"Mina took care of that, too, actually. She gave me some of her old ones that she doesn't use anymore. Said it's better than paying for something I'll never use. Plus, it would be suspicious if they always looked new."

Mamoru's face lit with interest. "You're saying that Mina freely gave you access to her thongs and stuff?"

"Yeah, I don't know how girls are comfortable in that crap."

"Sweet."

"Pervert."

Mamoru grinned. "Tell me you didn't have the same thoughts when you first heard the news."

"Well, yeah, but then I saw the other side of the coin."

"Something better than sexy panties?"

"Something worse."

"What's worse?" Mamoru's eyes widened. "Don't tell me Mina has granny panties!"

"Worse. Apparently, girls need a couple of nice, raggedy pairs to pull out once a month. She said it'd be suspicious if I didn't have any."

"So you say you threw them out when they started to fray. I'm sure many girls do that. I'm surprised Mins doesn't."

"No, Mamoru." A pained look crossed Umino's face. "It's so they don't dirty up their good underwear when they...you know," he gulped and whispered, "When it's that time of the month."

"Oh, Mina gave you... Ew, nasty! I'm so not putting away your underwear." He looked down and backed away from the drawer in horror. "That's just wrong, and, and...hey, won't that be suspicious? You can't fake monthlies."

"Sure I can," Umino bent over and groaned. "Sensei, my stomach hurts. Can I go to the nurse?" he straightened and grinned. "I don't know why girls complain so much. It's like a free pass out of class every month."

Bending to open another box, he added, "Mina even gave me some supplies and half a bottle of Midol to make things more authentic."

"Sucks to be you," Mamoru cleared his throat as a gentle knocking sound came from the door, turning back to Umino with a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Party time, babe."

Throwing his friend a death-glare, Umino headed to the door and threw it open. A petite girl with wavy red hair hovered before him, her cerulean eyes wide and friendly.

"Hi, I'm Osaka Naru. I'm, uh, well, I'm your new roommate."

Umino stared down at her, curious about the girl he'd be spending his every waking moment with for the rest of the year. "Did you forget your key?"

"What? Oh, no. Just, I didn't know—I wasn't sure—well, it's polite to knock," she lowered her head. "If I'm interrupting, I can just—"

"No, no, it's cool. Mamoru and I—Mamoru-_kun_ and I were just unpacking my stuff."

"Mamoru-kun?"

Peering into the room as Umino gestured for her to enter, her blue eyes widened and a light blush graced her cheeks as Mamoru straightened and grinned at her. "Um, hi."

"Hey, I'm Chiba Mamoru."

"Osaka Naru...but I guess you know that already."

Grinning again, Mamoru gave her a brief once-over before closing the drawer behind him with a resounding bang. "I was just helping _Umi_ here unpack. Honest."

Naru gave him an odd look before turning to her new roommate. "That's your name, Umi? It's so pretty. When I was a little girl, I used to love _Magic Knight Rayearth_. Do you remember that show? I'd watch it on TV every Monday night after dinner. Umi was my favorite character. She was so pretty and elegant and I wanted to be just like her."** *-1 **

Clearing his throat nervously, Umino racked his brains. "Uh...mecha show with magical girls, right?"

"That's what my brother said when he wanted to justify watching it to his friends," she laughed heartily, causing Umino to awkwardly join her, shooting Mamoru a panicked look.

_Shit, shit, shit,_ s_truck out on the first try._ Clearing his throat again, he managed to say, "Actually, my name is Umino Guriko, but I hate my first name so much that my friends gave me Umi as a nickname. Since, you know, it sounds more feminine than Umino does and, uh, it's more of a nickname and less of a family name, and..." he trailed off, feeling sweat puddle at the back of his neck. Why couldn't he speak properly? He was more nervous than he thought he'd be.

Overlooking his stutters, Naru smiled fondly. "That's so cute. I wish my name was that versatile. Why do you hate your given name, anyway? It's really unique. I don't think I know anyone else named Guriko."

"Oh, well, my mother grew up in Hawaii and she really liked this dessert called _guri-guri_. Have you heard of it?" Seeing Naru shake his head, Umino explained, "It's sort of like ice cream, but creamier, like sorbet or something. Apparently, it's really popular. I'm not really sure why she felt the urge to name me after food, but she did, and so I really hate the name." At least he hadn't lied. He really did hate the name because his mother really _had _named him after the dessert, only he'd feminized it when transferring to Sakura Kita. He figured that if he stayed as close to his own name as possible, colleges would just think there was a typo on his transcript and not pay much attention to his deception. He knew it had worked for getting him this far, what with all of the paperwork and entrance exams he'd needed to submit.** *-2 **

"That's interesting, though. How many people can say that there's history behind their names?" She shot him a smile, showing off her straight, gleaming teeth. "Besides, maybe she had a craving for _guri-guri _the entire time she was pregnant with you. Oh, or maybe your parents conceived you while—"

"Er, maybe, I don't know," Umino grimaced as he interrupted his new roommate, not wanting to think of his parents in such a fashion.

Glancing around the room, and changing the topic, Naru asked, "So, are you almost finished here? The girls across the hall invited me to go to lunch with them. That's where I just was, otherwise, I'd have been here to meet you. Anyway, you can come with us if you want." Looking over to include Mamoru in the conversation, she added, "You too, Chiba-san."

Stretching and rolling his shoulders to remove the tension, Mamoru shot Naru the smile that had all the girls back home swooning at his feet. "We're not done, but I could sure use a break from all this work. Besides, it'd be rude to turn down a lady as lovely as yourself."

Crossing his eyes at his friend's cheesiness, Umino muttered, "Show-off."

"What was that?" Naru turned with a curious look.

"Oh, just agreeing that lunch sounded good."

"Cool," she replied as a knock sounded at the door. "That's them now. I just came in here to see if you had arrived and invite you to eat with us." Pulling the door open to wave Umino's new neighbors into the room, she stated, "I'd like you to meet two very good friends of mine, Tsukino Usagi and Hino Rei."

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**Cultural Note #1:** _Magic Knight Rayearth_ first aired on Monday, October 17, 1994 at 7:30 p.m.

**Cultural Note #2:** I researched the meaning of Umino's name when deciding how to feminize it. In fanfiction when using Japanese names, fans just call him Umino, but that's his family hame. His first name is Gurio, which probably came from the Hawaiian specialty dessert _guri-guri_. You can Google it if you want more information. ^_^

I'd like to thank Loki from Aria's Ink and The Lone Pig from SMRFF for being my "male beta readers." I'd also like to thank Loki for guest-editing and my editor Kel (also hailing from the SMRFF Yahoo! Group).

I have the first few chapters of this written already, but if you have any interesting situations/ideas, please feel free to throw them my way! I've already received one excellent idea that has given me a lot of inspiration, and more are always appreciated!

Also, for those who were curious, I'm going to try to get Mamoru and Usagi together as a side-story, but I don't want to promise anything. It's going to be hard to juggle secondary characters and incorporate a sub-plot into the story, but it's a challenge that I'm willing to try. I really like how I've reversed everything and reassembled this world we know so well. I hope you do as well!

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or e-mail ladybaine at gmail dot com today!

**«·´`·.(*·.¸(`·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·*).·´`·»  
«·´¨*·.¸¸. *Baine*.¸¸.·*¨`·»  
«·´`·.(¸.·´(¸.·* *·.¸)`·.¸).·´`·»**


	3. Chapter 3

As We Stumble Along

Chapter 3/?  
By Baine  
Email: ladybaine at gmail dot com  
Written: June 7th, 2007

Posted: August 26th, 2007

Note: Sorry this chapter is so short! The story will REALLY kick off with the next chapter, and from four on, they're a lot longer!

***—(number)** _Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story._

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**As We Stumble Along  
Chapter Three  
****«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

Umino was surrounded by gorgeous females. How was he going to survive the day, let alone the next year and a half? He stared across the table at his new neighbors once more. Sitting here was like being at an art museum.

Tsukino Usagi looked as though she'd been sculpted from marble. Her skin was pale and creamy and she had golden hair that cascaded down from two balls atop her head. She was absolutely lovely. Sweet and innocent all rolled into one. If he wasn't masquerading as a girl, he'd have gone after her just to piss off Mamoru. His friend had always had a soft spot for willowy blondes. He'd been making googly eyes at her for the past half an hour. She, of course, remained oblivious, chattering away about the school's assets. Umino had a feeling that Usagi had an Energizer battery in her when it came to talking.

Turning his gaze to Usagi's quiet roommate, he watched as Hino Rei idly pushed around a tomato in her salad bowl. He couldn't imagine her as a sculpture. She was too vibrant, too...regal. She'd be a painter's dream, though; the canvas would be alive with color and a sense of mystery. He had a feeling that her portrait would give the Mona Lisa's a run for its money. He wondered how the two roommates ever got along, seeing as they seemed to be complete opposites.

Looking once more at his roommate, he decided that she'd be carved from wood. She had a more earthy appearance compared to the two bombshells that lived across the hall. Remembering how Naru had invited him to eat and apologized for the interruption, Umino figured she was also loyal and reliable the way wood was.

As for himself, he'd be an illusion meant to trick the eye. His new swirly glasses added to the effect. In this form, he was too hideous to appear in an actual museum alongside such masterpieces.

Finishing up her lunch, Usagi turned and speared the tomato Rei had been playing with, popping it into her mouth and grinning wickedly.

Umino was suddenly glad for the crazy glasses. It made it harder to read his eyes. He didn't want anyone to see the fact that his gaze had momentarily been fixed upon the blonde's luscious lips. His attention was pulled from Usagi's mouth as Rei suddenly smacked her on the head.

"I was gonna eat that, baka."

"No you weren't. You hate tomatoes."

"So what? Maybe my tastes changed over the summer."

"Did they?"

"Only when it comes to roommates."

"Low blow."

Rei smiled primly. "True, though. Why did I allow myself to be attached at the hip for another year? You steal my clothes, get sticky fingers all over my manga, and beg for help whenever you don't feel like doing your homework."

"Yeah, well, you're just a spoiled Prima Donna. Who cares what you think, anyway?"

Standing up, Rei glared down at her roommate. "You wanna say that again, Blondie?"

Pushing back her chair, Usagi stood as well. "Sure. You're—"

"Usagi, Rei. Sit down. You're making a scene." Naru blotted the corner of her lips with a napkin and frowned at the warring duo. "Y'all are going to scare Umi."

"Nah, it's cool." Umino stared at Naru. "You're from Osaka?"

"Yeah. It has nothing to do with my family name, though. How'd you know?"

"You said y'all." ***—1**

"Oh. Yeah, I'll lose the twang in a few weeks and it'll come back when I go home again." She smiled sweetly. Her smile transformed her face into one that was striking and captivating. Her appearance was a deceptive one; it seemed there was more there than what initially met the eye. "Where are you from?"

"Tokyo."

"Really? So are Usagi and Rei." She glanced across the table at the two girls currently ensnared in a war of the tongues, complete with pie-eyes and scrunched noses. "Could you two _be_ any more immature? Seriously. Grow up or get another table. You're such an embarrassment."

"I find them to be rather entertaining." Mamoru leaned back with a grin, lazily running his eyes across their mottled faces. "It's not every day you get to see a cat fight utilizing tongues instead of claws."

Flipping a pigtail indignantly, Usagi stated, "Rei uses her claws to pull my hair constantly. This is mild," she stated as she shot him a cold stare. "Besides, should you be looking at another girl's tongue when your girlfriend is sitting right beside you?"

Grinning roguishly, Mamoru dropped his arm against the back of Umino's chair. "Nah, Umi here doesn't mind, do you _sweetie_?"

Kicking at Mamoru's ankle and squirming uncomfortably, Umino managed not to twist his friend's arm around and body-slam him to the ground. Smiling tightly, he leaned forward, trying to unobtrusively maneuver himself away from his so-called friend. Changing the topic, he mused, "If you don't get along, why didn't you get a roommate change after finding out that you were incompatible?"

Usagi and Rei looked at each other and laughed. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Usagi stated, "Believe it or not, we're friends. This is just how we communicate. It's crazy, but it's just our way."

Rei nodded in agreement and shrugged nonchalantly. "What she said. Besides, after the first year, we can pick our own roommates. That way, we're not stuck with someone we don't like. The only reason you were able to nab half of Naru's room this late in the year was because her roomie had to go on an emergency nine-month leave of absence."

"Nine months—oh!" Umino's eyes widened. "Isn't this an all-girl's school?"

Rei gave a lofty scoff. "Well, yeah, but it doesn't mean we can never leave campus or have visitors. Of course, guests aren't allowed to stay overnight and you're not allowed out after curfew if you don't have special permission, but there are ways around it. I mean, even I know that sex doesn't only occur at night. I swear, they treat us like ignorant children."

Sensing that the day's debate had died out, Naru pushed back her chair. "I'm going to show Umi where the office is so she can get her school and gym uniforms before it closes for the day. After that, y'all can stop by and gab some more if you want. Umi still has a lot to unpack, though, right?"

"It's not that much. Besides, _Mamo-chan_ here can help me finish up." Umino smiled internally as his friend tried not to grimace at the new nickname. If Mamoru wanted to play dirty, he had to know he couldn't escape unscathed.

"Aw, Mamo-chan? How cute!" Naru's eyes glittered and Umino could almost see her pupils dilate and form hearts. She sighed wistfully. "I wish I had a boyfriend to give a pet name to." Standing, she picked up her purse and glanced over at Umino. "Okay, let's go."

Umino stood and would have followed her out, but Naru stopped him with a puzzled look. "You know, it's okay to kiss your boyfriend goodbye," she smiled and a dimple appeared in her cheek. "We won't get jealous or anything. Well, maybe a little, but it's cool."

Umino's face paled and he glanced over at Mamoru to see that his friend looked similarly pole-axed. Clearing his throat, he managed to stutter, "Uh, no, that's all right. I mean, uh—let's just go before the office closes, okay?" he bolted for the door without bothering to look back.

Leaning against the wall outside the cafeteria as he waited for Naru to show up, he breathed deeply and raised his fist to his racing heart. "That was close."

Thanking his lucky stars as Naru came out to join him without questioning his earlier behavior, Umino inwardly let out a sigh of relief. He'd puzzle over how to prevent a similar situation from arising again on the way to the office.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**Cultural Note #1:** In the Japanese version of the anime, Naru had a strong Osakan accent (which is probably why she had an accent in the dub, too). Trying to imitate that nuance of the show, I have her use Southern dialect such as "Y'all," even though I'm aware it's not the same thing. It still gets the message across, ne?

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or Email ladybaine at gmail dot com today!

**«·´`·.(*·.¸(`·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·*).·´`·»  
«·´¨*·.¸¸. *Baine*.¸¸.·*¨`·»  
«·´`·.(¸.·´(¸.·* *·.¸)`·.¸).·´`·»**


	4. Chapter 4

As We Stumble Along

Chapter 4/?  
By Baine  
Email: ladybaine at gmail dot com  
Written: June 11th, 2007

Posted: September 16th, 2007

I'm sorry for the delay, everyone! I wanted to put it out two weeks ago and put five out last week so that it could follow the same timeline as Japanese schools since students have just come back from summer holidays. I had to wait to get it back from all of my editors and make it as pretty as I could, though. Hopefully the next update will be sooner. Sorry!

***—(number)** _Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story._

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**As We Stumble Along  
Chapter Four  
****«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

Blood swirled through the water, dark and ominous. Umino winced as he lightly touched a finger to the underside of his knee. He'd thought it hurt when he nicked his face, but it was nothing compared to the pain that came from slicing his leg.

The rational part of his brain realized this was due to the fact that the cut continued to be immersed in water, rather than exposed to air. He frowned down at the small pink razor in his hand. Mina had called it a "Venus" and said it was the best on the market. She'd been ecstatic over the idea of getting him the latest limited edition model and had gone so far as to buy a matching one for herself. ***—1**

Running his finger lightly over the blade, he decided he preferred his own manly razor. It gave him a close shave and didn't leave him feeling all cut up and raw.

Rinsing off, he climbed out of the tub and reached for a towel. It was yellow, a compromise on his part. Minako had wanted to go with pink again, but he'd drawn the line; too much pink would be the death of him. He didn't mind yellow. In fact, it reminded him of his new neighbor's long, gorgeous hair. He'd never seen anything like it before and had to wonder if it was completely natural.

Clearing the steam from the mirror as he swiped his palm against the glass, Umino grabbed his shaving gel from the tub and pulled a razor and small, aqua-colored bottle from his toiletry bag. He felt ridiculous just saying the word: A _toiletry bag_. It was nothing but more unnecessary clutter women felt to be essential to their way of life. He had to admit, in this case, having a little bag to hide his stuff in actually worked in his favor, but still, did they really need so much junk? Picking up the small bottle, he felt its rough surface as he doled the cream into the palm of his hand. He'd scraped the cover off so that its contents were less obvious; if Naru happened to come across it and ask what it was, he'd just say it was lotion or moisturizer or something. After all, it wasn't far from the truth.

Until he'd started using the cream, his face had been a mess of bumps every time he'd shave. He'd been cursed with his mother's sensitive skin. He glanced down at the side of his left leg. It hurt to shave that one part and the skin was never smooth. He attributed the fact to his legs being unaccustomed to the new sensation of being hairless, but perhaps his skin was just sensitive in general. He wondered if this was a problem for girls and whether or not it would be easy to get such supplies from the local drugstore.

Glancing in the mirror as he ran his razor against the familiar curves and crevices of his face, he wondered if his skin would start to break out again now that he was shaving more frequently. Luckily, the new growth wasn't that obvious against his tan skin unless one was looking for it. He was loath to try Minako's overnight facial mask method unless it became a necessity.

Washing up and pulling out an unscented, alcohol-based astringent, he quickly applied it as he would have done with aftershave. Unfortunately, he couldn't use his favorite brand. Instead, he had to use a substitute for the real thing, considering the fact that girls didn't typically walk around smelling like Old Spice. He quickly brushed his teeth and pulled on his nightclothes. Looking over at the full-length mirror on the wall, he frowned. His legs looked absolutely naked. It was unnatural. Considering the fact that he was forced to wear a skirt 24/7, he wondered how many people would notice how unfeminine his muscular legs were compared to the slender lines typically associated with females. He could spin the athletic angle, but "Umi" wasn't good at sports. He couldn't be, or it would be a dead giveaway. Luckily, the school socks came to his knees, so it would hopefully take a shrewd eye to notice what he was trying to hide.

He plucked at his blue cotton night skort. It would have been too strange to wear a skirt to bed since it wasn't part of the typical nightwear ensemble, but if he wore pants, it could make certain parts of his anatomy too obvious. He thanked the powers that be for the fact that skorts were the school's gym uniform of choice. He wondered if it would be too obvious if he slipped out of this itchy bra once the lights were out. Girls didn't have to wear the contraption overnight, and he didn't want to, either.

Picking up his glasses and wiping the condesation from the lenses, he slipped them on and headed out of the bathroom, his toiletry bag tucked safely beneath his arm. Walking back into the bedroom, he froze as he took note of the three girls sprawled across the floor. Apparently, Rei and Usagi had come over while he'd been in the shower. Crossing to his bed, he quickly tucked his bag between the headboard and the wall, careful not to let the girls see what he was doing as he made a show of fluffing his pillow and turning down the covers.

Naru turned with a curious look. "Aren't you going to come and talk with us?"

Pausing in the process of slipping beneath the covers, he stuttered, "Yeah, I guess. Can I talk from up here, though? I, uh—" An idea came to mind and he almost sighed in relief. "I just shaved my legs and they're a little sensitive at the moment. I don't want to get rug burn."

Usagi nodded, a sympathetic look on her face. "My legs get that way, too. Once I switched razors, I started to have fewer problems." She tilted her head. "What are you using at the moment?"

Umino's face flushed. "Um, a Venus." Was this what they called girl talk? He had never understood the need to discuss things that were personal. He hoped they didn't break into a gab session about the best brand of tampon next. Granted, he'd be able to hold his own if they did because Minako had prepared him with the answers, but it didn't mean he had to relish the experience.

"Ah, I use an American brand, too. It's called Intuition. It's a little pricey, but the blade is surrounded by soap, so it's better on my legs. I've tried many different razors, both local brands and imports, but this one is definitely my favorite."

"Really? Maybe I'll try it out." Safely under the covers, Umino turned to face the girls once more. He had a feeling his libido would go into overdrive if he looked upon the scantily-clad females sprawled across the floor for too long. That was the worst thing about being a guy; it was impossible to hide his reaction. It had led to a few embarrassing situations in the past and would be detrimental if noticed here. That was the real reason he'd been so quick to scramble into bed. The covers hid him from view.

"I can go with you whenever you go to the store and show you what to look for. It's no problem." Usagi gave him a heart-stopping grin and his stomach clenched.

"Y-Yeah, sure. Thanks."

"Anytime." She smiled again, then tilted her head to face Rei as the raven-haired girl began to talk about her new class schedule. "You have history with Kawaguchi-sensei? No way, I have him, too!" Usagi gleefully snatched at the paper.

Pulling her schedule away from her roommate's flailing hands, Rei frowned. "I'm not doing your homework for you, Usagi."

"No, but if we do it together, it'll get done twice as fast."

Rei scoffed. "No way. I've been down this road with you before."

Stopping them before a fight ensued, Naru smoothly deflected the argument by stating, "I have that class, too, as does Umi. We should make a study circle or something and get together before each test."

Usagi nodded enthusiastically. "That sounds cool."

"You _would_ think so," her roommate groused.

Usagi turned to shove Rei's shoulder. "What's that supposed to mean? You should be grateful for the suggestion. It's not like you get perfects on every test."

Narrowing her eyes, Rei replied, "No, but at least I still manage to make A's, unlike some people in this room. I swear, Usagi, I don't know how you managed to pass the entrance exam and get accepted into such a prestigious school."

"Just because I don't like to do homework doesn't mean that I'm not smart. I have more important things to do than stick my nose in a book during our precious free time."

Rei snorted. "Like what, going into town and picking up boys?"

"No, baka, like—" Usagi's eyes narrowed and she turned to gaze up at Umino, who had managed to remain silent despite the chaos occuring below him. "That reminds me. I know that I only met you today, Umi, but I'd really like to talk to you about your boyfriend."

"My...boyfriend?" Umino frowned and an image of Mamoru popped to mind. Damn. He had hoped they'd have forgotten about him.

"Yeah. Do you mind?"

Rei smacked her roommate on the head. "Shut up, Usagi. You need to start thinking before opening that loud mouth of yours."

Glowering at Rei as she rubbed her head, Usagi scowled and would have retorted if Umino didn't step in with a rather forceful, "No, stop. It's okay. What's up, Usagi?"

"Ah..." Usagi flushed and glanced down at her hands. "It's just, how can I say this..."

"Usagi without anything to say? The world is ending." Rei flopped backwards dramatically as Usagi replied by blowing her a raspberry.

"Anyway, what I was trying to say before I was so rudely interrupted was that...well, he makes me uncomfortable."

Turning, Umino propped his chin with his hands, causing the covers to fall to his waist. "What do you mean?"

"Just...I know he's your boyfriend and all, but he kept trying to flirt with me and would check me out whenever he thought I wasn't looking. I saw him looking at other girls in the cafeteria, too. His actions became a little more obvious once you left." Usagi shrugged. "I wouldn't be comfortable with him doing that if he was my boyfriend; I doubt anyone would be. I just wanted to let you know."

Umino rapped his fingers against the mattress. If he didn't break clean now, he'd have yet another lie to hide. The more you tucked away, the easier it was to make a mistake and be found out later.

"Usagi, listen. The truth is—" Breathing deeply, he mustered up his strength. "The truth is, Mamoru and I are just friends. He's a boy, and he's my friend, but there's a space between the words. We've known each other all our lives. It would be too weird if we started dating now."

Naru snapped her fingers. "That's why you were acting so strange in the caf."

"Guilty as charged."

Usagi frowned, a wounded expression on her face. "Why didn't you just tell us? We wouldn't have cared."

Umino shrugged. "I dunno, I guess I didn't want you to think badly of me."

"If you don't want him, I'd be more than happy to take him off your hands." Rei pursed her lips and touched her index finger to her lips before pressing it against her wrist. "He's hot."

"Wow, Rei, you don't have ice in your veins after all." Usagi scrunched up her face and made fish-lips, smacking them together to make a loud, smacking noise. "My name is Rei and I've decided that I like guys after all. In fact—"

Peals of laughter were heard as the two girls began to roll across the floor. Dragging his eyes from the stimulating sight as shirts rose too high and hands fell where they didn't belong, Umino turned to look at his roommate.

Mistaking his sign of distress for one of embarrassment over the situation, Naru stood and placed her hands on her hips. "Okay, playtime's over. It's time to go to bed."

Usagi glanced up, her head at an awkward angle due to the fact that Rei had a large fistful of golden hair in the palm of her hand. "Naru, you're kicking us out?"

"Yeah. I'm not getting the RA in here handing out demerits because the two of you have turned my room into a wrestling arena. If you want to kick and scream, take it across the hall." Naru opened the door and gestured. "Out. Now."

Lowering her head in shame, Rei dragged Usagi from the room. The sounds of grappling faded as a door slammed across the hall.

Closing the door with a pained expression, Naru sighed. "Sorry about that. Unfortunately, they're usually like this. Now, I only get worried if they don't start bickering with one another."

Rubbing his hand against his now-smooth jaw, Umino mused, "My first impression of Rei was that she was this regal princess."

Naru laughed. "I know, right? That's the face she shows the public. Behind closed doors with people she trusts, however..." Naru shrugged. "Perhaps it's such an extreme change because she's always forced to be perfect."

"How come?"

"Her dad's a political figure."

"Ah." A light came to his eyes as her words connected to his brain. "Wait, is her dad Senator Hino of the Liberal Democratic Party?" ***—2**

"Yeah," Naru replied, inquisitively raising an eyebrow. "You follow politics?"

"Um, yes?" Umino frowned. Had he made another gender error? Despite being smart, did all girls hate politics?

Laughing, Naru climbed into her own bed. Her legs winked at him, long and tone, before disappearing beneath her frilly covers. "Don't look so ashamed. You shouldn't be. I was just surprised because I can never talk about politics with the others. Usagi doesn't know a thing about the topic, while Rei wants to stay as far away from her father's work as she can get."

"Understandable."

"Mind if I turn off the light?"

"Go ahead."

Once the room was cloaked in darkness, Naru murmured, "So, Umi."

"Yeah?"

"What do you think about the fact that they want to change the Ninth Article of the Constitution so that the country will once again be able to mobilize for war?" ***—3**

Grinning, Umino leaned his head against his pillow, burrowing closer to his covers. So this was what it was like to be at the top school in the country, he'd actually be able to have an intelligent conversation. Rolling onto his side as he answered Naru's question, he decided that he could definitely get used to this.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**Cultural Note #1:** Japan sells imported razors such as Venus and Intuition alongside their own brands.

**Cultural Note #2:** Information that Rei's dad is senator of the actual Liberal Democratic Party came from Genvid's website.

**Cultural Note #3:** The debate over whether or not to change the Ninth Article of the constitution is currently a hot topic in Japan.

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or e-mail ladybaine at gmail dot com today!

**«·´`·.(*·.¸(`·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·*).·´`·»  
«·´¨*·.¸¸. *Baine*.¸¸.·*¨`·»  
«·´`·.(¸.·´(¸.·* *·.¸)`·.¸).·´`·»**


	5. Chapter 5

As We Stumble Along

Chapter 5/?  
By Baine  
Email: ladybaine at gmail dot com  
Finished: July 19th, 2007

Posted: October 6th, 2007

***—(number)** _Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story._

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**As We Stumble Along  
Chapter Five  
****«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

He had once been a chicken in a former life. Glancing at his scrawny, hairless legs in the mirror, it was the only conclusion he could come to. Tilting his head, he turned to the side. They sure looked different from the way they normally did, that was for sure. How did girls manage to make their legs look so appealing? Maybe the magic was in the skirt. Speaking of which...

He grudgingly turned toward the article in question. He had haphazardly tossed his uniform over the shower rod while he brushed his teeth and disrobed. Grabbing the checkered garment, he pushed his legs through the opening and pulled it up over his hips. Zippering the side, he grimaced at his reflection. It was strange to see a skirt clinging to a body so obviously male. He frowned down at his legs once more. The skirt had done nothing to help them look less awkward. Sighing in resignation, he donned his knee-length socks and felt thankful for small favors. It was hard to see how gangly they looked when they were hidden beneath yards of fabric. For now, he didn't have to worry about them.

Buttoning his shirt, he tucked it into his skirt, tying on his sailor collar and quickly adjusting the tie. He debated tying his hair up into two small pigtails before deciding it would be overkill. Besides, his hair wasn't quite long enough to hold the shape yet.

It was long enough to frame his face, though, so his true gender was less obvious than it had been a month ago.

"You almost done in there, Umi? We're going to be late for Morning Assembly."

"Yeah, hold on." He quickly washed his hands and left the bathroom, suddenly feeling shy and nervous. Would someone figure out he really wasn't a girl? If they did, what would happen to him? He didn't want to get kicked out of school before he'd even begun. Besides, if that were to occur, what would happen to his reputation? Would any decent school still be willing to give him a chance, or was he committing academic suicide?

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

The first week of school went off without a hitch. After the obligatory ceremony on the first day back, the students spent the rest of the week testing the knowledge they were supposed to have retained over the summer holiday.***—1**

Luckily, Sakura Kita still had to follow mandated courses that outlined what students would learn throughout the year. Umino had always made a habit out of going to the library after school to research the topics they learned about in class. For him, it was much more effective than cram school—and cheaper, too. Without all the extra research, he doubted he would have gotten into Sakura Kita due to the many obscure questions on the school's entrance exam. ***—2**

Umino was much surer of himself when it came to his schoolwork than he was while masquerading as a female. Girls remained a mystery to him despite his new behind-the-scenes look. He was constantly worried about being exposed in front of the entire student body. He even dreamed about such an occurrence, which was much worse than dreaming about giving a speech naked. Actually, the two ideas had merged the night before, causing him to wake up in a cold sweat. Not having slept well, he was cranky and irritable upon waking. Luckily, the girls didn't think anything was amiss, assuming him to be out of sorts due to it being "that time of the month." He had never been happier to have such a lame excuse handed to him on a silver platter. All in all, he didn't understand why girls griped so much when they had a ready made excuse for a shift in mood each month.

Loudly stacking his empty breakfast tray against the others waiting to be cleaned, he wearily trudged from the cafeteria, a headache already forming between his eyes. As much as he'd love to claim cramps in order to catch up on shut-eye in the nurse's office, he wasn't going to miss the opportunity to see his exam scores the moment they were revealed. The administration said they'd post the results at quarter past eight so that students would still have time to get to first period on time. Heading toward the board outside the office, Umino was surprised to see a huge crowd already lying in wait.

"Wow," he muttered to Naru, "it's really crowded."

"Well, of course." Naru blinked at him, a surprised look darting across her face. "What did you expect?"

Umino shrugged. "I dunno, just...no one lined up like this at my old school."

"But that was public school, wasn't it, Umi?" A fellow classmate named Hukuda Kokoro stood next to him, nervously twirling the end of her ponytail around her finger. "Obviously, most kids wouldn't take grades too seriously there. Our school is ranked number one in the country, so of course we all care about our grades." She pursed her lips thoughtfully, about to say more, but was cut off as she was jostled from behind. "What were—Oh, hey Rina." ***—2**

A petite girl with pale ivory skin pushed her ebony bangs off her forehead, revealing large, forest-green eyes. Curly tendrils of hair framed her face, having escaped the bouncy ponytail she'd tied up with a lilac bow. Her nose reminded Umino of a button and her lips resembled a perfectly-formed rosebud. When she blinked, her sooty eyelashes fluttered against her smooth skin.

Finding himself entranced by her appearance, Umino decided that the girl reminded him of a fragile porcelain doll. Why had he never noticed her before? She wasn't in his class, that was for sure. Then again, she may not even be a second year student. He glanced inconspicuously at her chest. She was too developed to be a first-year student. Was she in her final year? The thought of not seeing her again put him in a bad mood, making him even crankier than he already was.

Watching in breathless anticipation as she smiled sweetly, her voice fell upon his ears like the bubbling of a cascading waterfall. "Sorry I'm late, Kokoro."

Umino's classmate shrugged nonchalantly, shoving a runaway strand of black hair behind her ear. "Eh, it's no big deal. I got us a good spot."

"Is it out yet?"

"Nah, we're still waiting." Kokoro turned and, with a wave of her hand, stated, "Rina, this is my new classmate Umi, and you already know Naru and Usagi, right? And I think you've met—"

"Rei, yes. She's in my class."

"Right, right." Kokoro pressed a hand to her stomach. "Gosh, I'm so nervous. Nakagawa-sensei's been hinting that I didn't do too well on the history portion."

"Ah, don't worry about it. Nakagawa-sensei's been acting like that around everyone."

"If he said that to you, then there's hope for us all! I mean, of course you did well, Rina. You always get the best grades."

Rina shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, we'll see." She glanced over at Umino and his friends. "What about you four? How do you think you did?"

"Okay, I guess," Usagi mused, tapping a perfectly-manicured finger against her cheek. "I think I mixed the emperors up, though."

"Oh, Usagi," Rei groaned. She rolled her eyes and grimaced. "We studied them over and over and charted—"

"Well, yeah, but I still forget, you know?"

"I swear, all that blonde has gone to your head. One of these days—"

Hoping to diffuse the brewing argument, Naru raised her voice to declare, "Well, I think I did all right. What about you, Umi?"

"Er, I don't know, I—"

"It's okay if you didn't do too well, Umi." Kokoro shot Umino a gentle smile. "We all know you just transferred in and haven't been studying the same curriculum as us."

"We still learned the basics."

"Well, yes, but..." Kokoro dropped her voice, "surely lessons at your old school weren't nearly as advanced as they are here."

Rina looked on inquisitively, her eyes lightening with curiosity. "What school did you transfer here from?"

"Azabu High."

"Over near the Juuban District?"

"Yeah."

She furrowed her brow. "That's a private school, isn't it? Not as good as this one, of course." She crinkled her nose. "Co-ed, too, isn't it? Gosh, how did you manage to survive?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, _you know_." She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "It couldn't have been easy sharing a classroom with a bunch of disruptive boys."

"Er, well—They're not so bad."

Kokoro sighed dreamily. "I've seen that boyfriend of yours. If they're all that tall, dark, and handsome, I wouldn't mind if they were loud and rude."

Rina frowned sternly. "Staring at them and daydreaming is another form of disturbance, Kokoro. No, we're much better off here."

About to retort, Kokoro's eyes darted to the office door, which was slowly sliding open. "It's time," she breathed.

Rina's rosy lips trembled and she brought a shaky hand up to smooth away the loose strands clinging to her face. She reached out and took Kokoro's hand, entwining their fingers.

Umino stared at them askance. He had never seen someone so concerned about a score before. Hadn't Kokoro said she was a good student? If it was true, she was in no danger of flunking.

Squeals of delight, howls of despair, and spurts of relieved laughter sounded up ahead. Slowly, the dense mass of students thinned out until, finally, Umino and his friends were standing in front of the tall notice board.

Glad "U" came at the beginning of the alphabet and he wouldn't have to search long for his own name, Umino ran his finger down the first column of names.Finding the kanji for his name, he looked across at his marks. ***—3**

"How did you do?" Naru's head appeared beneath his arm; her name wasn't too far from his own on the list***—3**

"Passed everything, you?"

"Yeah, same." A small bubble of laughter burst from her lips. "I got a mean score of 89%. Wish it could have been a smidge higher, but I went to the beach instead of cram school a couple of times over summer break. What about you?"

"Er..." Umino flushed and placed a hand over his scores, not wanting her to see.

"Baka," she teased, pushing his hand away. "They're on display for the whole school, I can just—oh." Her mouth dropped. "Your score—How did you—"

Umino shrugged, uncomfortable with the way she was staring at him. Her attention was diverted from his score as students jostled the duo from behind, urging them out of the way. Momentarily split by the crowd, Naru and Umino met up again by the stairwell, where the other girls were already comparing scores.

"A mean of 90%, Usagi? Seriously? I'm not sure I believe you." Rei narrowed her eyes at her roommate.

"So go double-check. It's not like I have ash for brains, you know."

"Well, you sure act like it."

"Hey," Naru cut in, her face flushed pink. "You scored higher than me, Usa. I'd kill to be in the Top Ten Percent. I _just_ missed it, too."

Usagi began to jump up and down as she waved to Kokoro and Rina, who had begun walking toward the stairwell. "How did you two do?" she asked, leaning against the wall.

Kokoro shrugged casually. "I only wound up with a 95%. I really didn't do well in history. Rina's at the top of the class again, of course."

"Wow," Usagi breathed, "You made another hundred? I really need to start joining your study group before tests."

A dainty smile appeared across Rina's face. "It's not all fun and games. I studied very hard this summer, Usagi."

"What about you, Umi?" Kokoro smiled, a kind look upon her face. "Did you manage to pass?"

"I—Yeah." He glanced over at Rina's shining face, her eyes twinkling merrily. "Yeah, you could say that."

"Barely, huh?" Kokoro sighed in commiseration. "Well, don't worry about it. These tests aren't worth much, though they're a good way to judge how we'll do on midterms in November. You'll do much better after you've started attending class. Especially in history; no one can get a perfect on one of Nakagawa-sensei's tests. Well, no one but Rina, that is."

"Umi did just fine, Kokoro." Naru bristled, an undistinguishable look on her face. "Better than—"

"—we expected? Well, of course, she managed to pass, after all."

"She got a mean score of 101%." Naru's voice was flat, her mouth a thin line. "I would say she more than passed."

"A 101%? But that's not—that's impossible." Kokoro's mouth formed a perfect 'o' that was reminiscent of Naru's earlier expression. Umino watched her exchange a look with Rina, whose eyebrows were furrowed in surprise.

"How'd you manage that, Umi?" Rina inquired, her nose crinkled as though she were puzzled.

Glaring at Naru for not keeping the score to herself, Umino muttered, "I-I'm really not sure."

"You didn't look at your individual scores to see which classes—"

"Well, sure I did."

"And?"

He shot a sideways glance at Kokoro, who was still looking at him in something akin to shock. He wiped his palms against his school skirt and gulped. "Er, it was in history."

"Nakagawa-sensei never gives extra credit, especially on an exam!"

Umino shrugged. "I don't know what happened. It was probably a mistake or something."

Rina tilted her head, causing her glossy ponytail to slide to her shoulder, loose curls falling haphazardly against her crisp white blouse. "You did very well for someone who hasn't had a single class here yet. Azabu must be a really good school. Why did you decide to transfer?"

"Azabu isn't a bad school, of course. They have an escalator system in place and all.Sakura Kita is the very best, though. Also," Umino's cheeks flushed as he divulged his secret, "I spent a lot of time at the library doing research outside of class whenever the teacher didn't give us enough information." ***—4**

"You study a lot, then?"

"Yeah, I guess so. It wasn't so much for the sake of good study habits as it was a quest for knowledge, though. There are so many things in this world that we know nothing about; I want to discover as many of its secrets as I can before I die."

Rina absently pulled on a tendril of hair, repeatedly lowering it and allowing it to spring back up again. "Is that what you want to do for a living, study the truth? A journalist, perhaps?"

Umino laughed and shook his head. "I may be nosy, but there's way too much back-stabbing going on behind the scenes if you're a journalist. I want to do something more important and make a difference in the world."

From her perch on a lower step, Kokoro shot him a languid look from behind sooty eyelashes. "Like what?"

"I've always been interested in the medical field. I might be a doctor, or do cure research the way Mizuno Ami does, or—"

"You know Mizuno Ami?" Rina's hand fell to her side.

"Well, know _of_ her. I've never met her or anything."

"Did you know she's an alumni of this school?"

"Yeah, actually, it's one of the reasons I applied here."

"To follow in her footsteps?"

"To get the best education in Japan."

"Well, we do have that." Rina nodded in appreciation as she confirmed Umino's words and offered him a brilliant smile that sent a zing of warmth to his chest. "It'll certainly be delightful to finally have a worthy opponent at this school. I look forward to the ensuing battle, Umi."

"Battle?"

"For grades, of course. It sounds as though we both put a lot of time and effort into making top marks. No one usually gets straight 100s, not even the third-year students. If you can do it consistently, I've finally met my match." She smiled again and glanced at the delicate silver watch adorning her wrist. "We have five minutes to get to class. Rei and I have science in the labs now, so we'll have to sprint. It was nice meeting you, though."

With that, Rina and Rei hurried down the hallway while Umino, Naru, Usagi, and Kokoro trekked up the steps to their classroom.

First period was history, which meant Umino was able to question Nakagawa-sensei after class over whether or not his grade had been a mistake. He sighed in relief when he heard it hadn't; the teacher had been so impressed with his essay that he'd awarded Umino extra points. Apparently, he'd written about things that even the Sakura Kita students hadn't learned in class.

It had been amusing to see the faces of the other girls at lunchtime when he revealed that tidbit. It was as though he'd said the Earth no longer spun on its axis. The thought that there were things the teachers didn't tell them—or know themselves—at such an advanced school staggered everyone.

He had to hold in his grin as he watched awe creep across Kokoro's face as the dark-haired girl gazed over at him in admiration.

"Wow, Umi," Kokoro breathed, tapping a perfectly-manicured fingernail against the rim of her glass, "I totally need to join your study group from now on."

"As do Naru and I," Usagi added with a grin.

"It's not so much a matter of study as it is—"

"Researching and paying attention in class, yeah, I know." Usagi let out a despondent sigh. "Is it my fault our teachers like to drone?" she grinned cheekily. "Besides, you can teach us whatever study techniques you're using since they obviously work really well and all."

"I don't really—" How could he teach when he didn't quite know himself? It was as though his mind were a sponge, eager to suck up and retain any liquid that crossed its path. He'd always had a really good memory; he'd never had to train it, so how could he possibly instruct others? He smiled weakly and assured Usagi he'd try his best, refusing to promise something he wasn't sure he could deliver.

Watching the clock tick closer to the end of lunch, Umino made up an excuse about needing to return to his room for something and quickly headed back to the dorms. They had a free recreation period next, and after that, he'd experience his first gym class as a girl. He had yet to see the locker room; not knowing the layout left him at a severe disadvantage. He didn't know what precautions he'd need to take while changing into his uniform, so he decided to do so in private. In fact, he might take advantage of the fact he had gym at this time of day and make changing in his room a habit. He'd be wearing the uniform for the rest of the afternoon, so he didn't have to worry about changing back again after class. The timing of everything was impeccable.

He changed quickly near the closet and was just pulling his gym shirt over his torso when Naru entered the room.

She grinned over at him and plopped her school bag onto her bed. "You came to get ready, too?"

"Too?"

"Sure," Naru replied, quickly grabbing her gym uniform and unbuttoning her blouse.

Umino turned back to the closet and began to hang his uniform, fighting the urge to watch his roommate as she changed.

"I mean, we have free time, so why not? It's better to hang our uniforms, anyway. Keeps them wrinkle-free and all. Gym's at a great time this year. We can work off our lunch." Her voice faded out as it became muffled, leading Umino to assume she was probably pulling on her gym shirt at the moment.

He was relieved to hear that changing in the dorms wouldn't seem strange or raise suspicion. Listening as Naru's bed let out a low sigh as she sank her weight upon it, he figured it was safe to turn around.

"What did you forget up here, anyway?"

"Oh, uh—my math book. I forgot we had Ichise-sensei this afternoon."

Naru shot him a skeptical look. Are you sure you didn't just make up an excuse so you could come up here and change alone?"

"No, of course not. Why would I do that?"

"I don't know. It's a little weird how you always change in the bathroom, though."

Umino chuckled nervously. "I got injured a few years ago and the scars are pretty nasty, so I don't like people seeing me naked."

"What happened?" A concerned look flitted across her face and she stopped fiddling with the contents of her bag.

"I fell out of a tree at an odd angle. I was lucky I didn't break my neck."

"Wow, that sounds serious. What were you doing up there?"

"Er, well, Mamoru and his friends were playing a game and, uh—they wouldn't let me play because I'm a girl, so, um, we got into a fight and they said that if I climbed this one huge tree, I'd be allowed to join them."

"Boys play such dangerous games, don't they? They can be cruel, too, making a girl climb a big tree like that."

Umino smiled in relief as Naru continued to prattle, glad she'd taken him at face value. It was true he had a scar on his shoulder blade from falling out of a tall tree Mamoru had dared him to climb, but the accident hadn't been too bad. He'd dislocated his shoulder, broken his arm, and had a small concussion, but he hadn't suffered any permanent damage. It made for a good excuse when questioned on his dressing habits, though.

"We won't laugh at you, y'know. Think of the scars as proof you're still alive and among us."

"I know, but...it makes me uncomfortable."

"I understand." She shot him a comforting smile and began playing with her bag again. "What do you do when you go swimming? Your hair isn't long enough to hide your back, so we'll still see everything on Friday."

"Friday?" He turned toward her with a start.

"Yeah, every Friday our gym lessons are at the pool."

"You're joking, right?"

Sorry, no." She shot him a sympathetic smile. "I do promise no one will laugh, though."

"It's not that, it's just—I don't swim."

"You don't know how? Didn't you ever learn at school?"

"Of course, but, um," Umino bit his lip, trying to remain calm while racking his brains for something to say that sounded plausible. "Well, for one, I almost drowned when I was little, so I'm afraid of water—"

"Tsuji-sensei will still make you swim, though."

Continuing on as though Naru hadn't interrupted him, he added, "After my big fall, the doctor said I shouldn't swim anymore."

"Really? That's strange, I mean, isn't swimming supposed to be therapeutic?"

"Yeah, but when I fell, I messed up my shoulder really badly. It never completely healed, so it's dangerous to swim because the workout would be too strenuous on it."

"That's horrible. So you can't ever exercise?" She glanced at his corded legs, muscles still obvious despite the knee-high socks.

"Well, some things are easier than others. Upper-body sports such as, uh, volleyball, are harder than, say, track. Different muscles and all. Luckily, it wasn't my writing hand I hurt or I'd have a harder time of it."

Naru opened her mouth to reply, then quickly shut it, reminding Umino of a gaping fish. Finally, a wary smile crossed her face. "I'd have thought you'd be lucky in the water with a surname like yours." ***—5**

Umino gave a rueful shrug. "Guess it jinxed me instead."

A knock on the door ended their conversation as Usagi arrived to walk with them to gym.

While he was grateful to change the topic due to the fact he hated telling so many lies and half-truths, he couldn't deny being happy it had occurred in the first place. If Naru hadn't tipped him off, he'd be walking into Friday's gym class blind. Why hadn't he ever thought about the swimming aspect before? He'd have to talk to the gym teacher beforehand to see if he could arrange to do something else on Fridays. Luckily, his shoulder injury had been mentioned in his physical report, so he had a better chance at getting out of the one class designed to betray his real identity.

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**Cultural Note #1: ** In Japan, the school year starts in April and ends in March. Because of this, summer break doesn't fall between school years. Instead, it is a break during the hottest time of the year, etc, and students are expected to continue studying, going to clubs, etc. during this timeframe. Often, students return to school and have to take a bunch of tests.

**Cultural Note #2: ** Many students go to special cram schools on top of regular school in order to maintain top grades and get into a good school in the future. Even elementary school students go to these schools, especially if they want to get into a good junior high that has an escalator system into high school (so they'd automatically be admitted and not need to take HS entrance exams. See Note #4). JHS students will go to get into a good high school, HS students will go to get into a good college, etc. It gets very expensive, especially if you've been going to cram school since the very beginning!

[Also, if you remember, Ami became Sailor Mercury for the first time while attending a cram school session.]

**Cultural Note #3: ** In the Japanese alphabet, "u" is the third letter. The five Western 'vowels' come first in Japanese, followed by the "two-letter syllables," which follow the same order as the five 'vowels.' For example, the first ten letters are: a, i, u, e, o, ka, ki, ku, ke, ko. All letters will follow this same patter of a, i, u, e, o paired with a consonant. :-)

**Cultural Note #4: ** An escalator system is when you don't have to take an entrance exam to get into the next school. For example, if you're in a junior high, you wouldn't have to take an entrance exam to go to the same high school. Schools with escalator systems are usually much more academically-oriented and for more serious students. A lot of students start attending cram school in order to get into a school with an escalator system (See Note #2).

**Cultural Note #5: ** Umino is our MC's surname (family name/last name). "Umi" is the Japanese word for "ocean," hence Naru's comment about him being good at water sports.

**Author's Note: ** I love the name Hukuda Kokoro, don't you? In a family name, Hukuda means lucky or fortunate. Kokoro means heart. So her name is something like lucky/fortunate heart. As for Rina, I have an image of her in my mind. She's got a beauty envied by many of her peers. Also, she's mixed and only part-Japanese, so she has a sense of the exotic to her, which makes her even more appealing to other people in Japan, especially her pale skin and colorful eyes!

Thank yous go out to my beloved Squishy (Nephthys) and my cherished Kelkatan, as well as to my two testosterone-charged males, Loki and The Lone Pig, for all of their help!

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or Email ladybaine at gmail dot com today! 

**«·´`·.(*·.¸(`·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·*).·´`·»  
«·´¨*·.¸¸. *Baine*.¸¸.·*¨`·»  
«·´`·.(¸.·´(¸.·* *·.¸)`·.¸).·´`·****»**


	6. Chapter 6

As We Stumble Along

Chapter 6/?  
By Baine  
Email: ladybaine at gmail dot com  
Written: July 10th, 2007 (Nope, not a mistake! I wrote this chapter before I started working on Chapter 5! ^^;;)

Posted: November 11th, 2007

***—(number)** _Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story._

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**As We Stumble Along  
Chapter Six  
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One of the best things about being in an all-girl's school was the uninhibited state of being. Girls had no qualms about propping their legs atop the desk while lathering on lotion or comparing cup sizes. By the end of his stay here, he'd be able to analyze a girl on the street and determine her bra size if he kept being exposed to such talk.

Watching from the corner of his eye as a girl with long, tan legs hitched her skirt even higher above her thighs as she continued rubbing in cream, he swallowed and turned back to the textbook he was supposed to be studying. How could a guy think in such an environment? Studying was all but impossible.

Looking up gratefully as Usagi plopped down beside him, he called out a greeting as she began to unpack her bag.

"Where's Naru this morning?" she asked, pulling out her textbook with a grimace.

"Um, she got her period a little early, so she had to go back to the room really fast." Umino struggled not to blush as he spoke. He'd been here for close to a month now, but he still didn't like this particular topic. At least he could speak about it without stuttering now. He was thankful for the small accomplishments in life.

"She should have gone to the nurse's office; it's closer."

"The nurse is a guy, though. She wouldn't be comfortable talking about _that_ with him."

"Yeah, but he's really hot. I wouldn't mind having an excuse to see him."

"You're also a lot more outgoing than Naru is."

"Mm, true." Usagi pulled out a small compact and began to re-apply her lipstick, forcing Umino's gaze to once more rove over her shiny mouth.

"Then again," she mused, causing his eyes to quickly dart away, "he works at an all-girls school. I'm sure he wouldn't have applied for the position if he couldn't handle the topic, you know?"

Umino could think of a few reasons that would compensate for having to deal with such issues as a male, but he wasn't going to mention them to Usagi. Could the nurse really be okay with such a topic, or did he just deal with it in order to reap the other perks that came with the job?

"Nobody in class had anything?" Usagi asked, bringing Umino back to reality yet again.

He blinked as his mind processed her question. He found that he spaced out much more here than he did while attending Azabu High. With so many females present throughout the day, he had more fantasies than he usually did, which wasn't a good thing when disguising one's self as a female.

Feeling Usagi's gaze upon his face, Umino flushed, realizing he still hadn't responded to her question. "Well, uh, at the time, it was just the two of us. We got here a little early today. It wasn't that crowded in the caf this morning, so we beat the rush. I, uh—haven't started mine yet, so I couldn't help her. She should be back any time now, though."

Usagi thoughtfully pursed her lips. "You know, the two of you are probably going to sync up in the next couple of months, so you should start carrying supplies around just in case."

"'Sync up?'" Why was girl talk always in Greek?

"Yeah, you know..." She tilted her head. "Rei and I have been living together so long that we get our period on the same day. You get two bitchy girls for the price of one each month. Actually, you'll get that special tomorrow if all goes according to plan. We hang out with Naru often enough to have synced up with her, too. I mean, we're a day apart, right? You'll be falling into line soon enough." She grinned and wiggled her fingers.

Umino could do little more than stare at her, aghast. He had never heard of such a thing. He remembered how touchy his mom got every month and shuddered at the thought of experiencing such torment in large doses. His face paled as another thought occurred to him. "Uh, so since everyone is pretty close to one another through the Six Degrees of Separation Theory, does that mean the whole school—"

"The Six Degrees of Separation Theory?" Usagi let out a bark of laughter. "You're such a dork, Umi."

"You haven't heard of it? It's when—"

"Well, sure I have! I read the magazines too, you know. It's when you connect someone like Kimura Takuya to someone like, say, I dunno, Ayumi Hamasaki? Yeah, they're good. They're singers, but they're also actors—well, Kimura-sama is more of an actor, but that's not the point. You have to connect the two together through people they've worked with, met in real life, etc, and you have to do it all in only six steps! See, I'm not _that _ stupid. You guys don't give me nearly enough credit. I'm not just another dumb blonde, you know." ***—1**

"Um, yeah, that." Umino sweatdropped as he watched Usagi once more go into ditz mode, spouting examples a mile a minute at an indecipherable rate.

Shrugging as she patted her face with concealer, Usagi glanced at Umino through her small mirror. "To answer your question, no, we don't all get our periods together. The girls on BC, for example."

"BC?"

"Birth control. Hey, are you on the pill?"

"Of course I'm not. You know I don't have a boyfriend."

"Sure, but you don't need to be having sex in order to be on the pill." Usagi closed her compact with a snap and shoved it into her small pink purse. "It's for regulating your period and stuff, too. Didn't your mom or your last school teach you anything?" ***—2**

"Well, uh..." Umino shifted uncomfortably. Minako had failed to provide him with lines for this type of conversation.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Naru plopped gracelessly into her chair with a thud, saving Umino from the awkward conversation.

"Not much," Usagi smiled over at the breathless red-head hovering over her desk, then zipped her purse and slung it across the back of her chair. "Heard you opted out of a one-on-one with Dr. Dreamboat this morning."

Naru flushed, but managed a nonchalant shrug. "You know me. When I'm around someone as beautiful as he is, the words get stuck in my throat. How much worse would it be if I had to talk to him about something so embarrassing?"

"Ah, periods are a natural part of life, Naru. Between you and Umi, you'd think they were something taboo. I swear, you guys are perfect roommates." Usagi shook her head and winked, then plopped her chin down against her palm. "Mm, he really is beautiful, though, isn't he?"

Umino refrained from rolling his eyes at the sudden change of topic. He could practically see hearts pulsing in their eyes. They always went soft and mushy when it came to talking about guys.

Tilting her head to bring Umino back into the conversation, Usagi mused, "Don't you think so, Umi?"

"No, not really."

Usagi jolted in her seat, her hand falling to her desk. "Seriously? God, don't you have eyes?"

Umino flushed. He hated this type of conversation almost as much as he did the one he'd been stuck in earlier. Floundering, he managed, "No, I just meant...well, guys aren't beautiful."

"Of course they are. What else could they be?"

"I don't know, handsome? Only girls can be called beautiful."

"Says who?"

"Uh...Mamoru, my brother, every male I've ever come in contact with? We—Er, _they_ hate being referred to as beautiful."

Usagi gave a nonchalant shrug. "Eh, let them hate it. They just don't think it's a manly word. We females know the truth." She grinned cheekily and proclaimed, "Never listen to a man. Females always know best after all, right?"

"I guess..." He _seriously_ didn't get women.

Saved once again as their homeroom teacher, Haruna-sensei, entered the room, Umino and the girls turned to face forward. ***—3, 4**

"Ladies, today we're going to discuss our homeroom's role in next month's Cultural Festival. Our class was assigned the task of putting together this year's stage production. For the rest of the month, we'll spend homeroom working on our show. Today, I'm going to give you scenes from three different plays. At the end of the week, we'll vote on the best script and hold auditions on Monday."

Calling on Kokoro to assist her in passing out the paperwork, Haruna-sensei added, "You should all find something you like. I've included Shakespeare, a Japanese folktale, and a modern-day script. Choose the one you think the audience will enjoy the most. I'll give you the rest of homeroom to begin reading." ***—5**

Quieting down to read, soon all that could be heard was the flipping of pages. Umino's brows furrowed as he skimmed through the plays. Two of them were romances. Why would they do a romance at an all-girls school? They weren't allowed to bring in any guys since it was their class's assignment, right? Why give three choices when they'd obviously be choosing the folktale? He frowned thoughtfully and stared up at the ceiling. Perhaps Haruna-sensei wanted it to _seem_ like they had a choice, but in reality, she'd already gone and decided for them?

After class, everyone began chattering excitedly while they waited for their math teacher Ichise-sensei to arrive. ***—3**

Usagi sighed dreamily as she clutched the scripts to her chest. "Haruna-sensei picked such romantic stories, didn't she? I love _Romeo and Juliet_, but I'd rather do the other romance because it has a happier ending."

Naru nodded. "Plus, everyone reads _Romeo and Juliet_ in junior high, so it isn't all that fresh or exciting."

Turning in her chair to join the conversation, Kokoro added, "I'm shocked that Miss Haruna follows the popular manga trends. _Sailor Moon_ is such a great story and we have the chance to perform it!

Usagi swooned and clutched at her chest. "Her boyfriend is so gorgeous, isn't he? If only he were real! I've been styling my hair the way she does since the manga began. Everyone says I look Sailor Moon, so I hope I get to play her!"

Umino glanced from girl to girl, puzzled. Weren't they forgetting something obvious? "We can't do that show, though. There aren't any guys to play the male parts."

Usagi giggled. "Girls always play those parts here, silly. It's kind of like how males always played female roles back when Shakespeare was alive."

"But that was a long time ago."

"Sure, but the practice still exists, especially at unisex schools."

"Professionally, too," Kokoro added. "Haven't you heard of the Takarazuka Revue? There's a theatre near here; we should go sometime. I think I remember hearing that the Moon Troupe is performing _Elisabeth_ at the moment. Great show. My sister's a member of the fan club, so I can ask her to see if there are any tickets left. Anyway, all the performers are female." ***—6**

Umino was shocked that the girls were telling him something he knew nothing about. Granted, he wasn't very theatre-savvy to begin with, but he prided himself on knowing a little bit about everything.

Turning to Usagi, he questioned, "Wouldn't you be upset to get the lead and have to kiss another girl instead of a 'hot guy' like the one from the story?" Visions of her kissing another female suddenly sprung to mind and he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Maybe doing a romance wouldn't be such a bad idea after all if he could see some free girl-on-girl action. Then again, while it would be an awesome sight to behold, his drool would probably give him away in an instant, not to mention certain other parts of his anatomy.

"Nah, we don't really kiss, silly. We just turn our heads and fake it. It's not so hard to pull off."

"You've done this before?"

"I sure have. I'm in the drama club, after all."

"That's right, I'd forgotten."

They chatted for a few more minutes before Ichise-sensei entered the room and began taking attendance.

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Friday came and went, and it was determined that _Beautiful Soldier Sailor Moon_ would be the play performed by Class 2-2 during the Cultural Festival. The girls spent the weekend rehearsing, though in his case, Umino wanted nothing more than to work backstage, though he'd settle for a minor role. He'd decided that a villain might work because he'd get to wear a costume. He definitely didn't want to play the heroine or one of her short-skirted friends. He'd never be able to wear all that spandex and continue to maintain the illusion of being female. Besides, he was already pulling off the role of a lifetime by pretending to be a girl, so he really didn't feel the urge to practice his acting skills now.

By Monday, he was ready to fail the audition, unlike his classmates, who were treating the event as thought it were a matter of life and death.

Confident he'd done a bad job reciting the character lines and a good job grunting and groaning, he allowed himself to be dragged to the teacher's room after school, where Haruna-sensei had posted the casting list outside the door.

Pushing her way to the front, Usagi let out a screech of anger. "No way, I'm playing Queen _Beryl_? This has to be a mistake. I don't look like her at all."

"No, but you're the best actress in class." Naru gave her an affectionate shove. "Besides, you still get to obsess over the guy. Who's playing him, anyway?"

"Um..." The corner of Usagi's tongue stuck out as she rose on tiptoe once more. "Whoa, you'll never guess." Her eyebrows rose in surprise as she turned to face her friends.

"Who, me?" Naru's face drooped. "Why do I always get stuck playing the guy?"

"No, for once, it's not you." Usagi's eyes fell speculatively upon Umino. "Umi snagged the honor this time."

Umino blinked in surprise and lowered the bottle of water he'd been about to drink from. "Are you sure? I totally botched the audition."

"Yeah, I double-checked. I guess Haruna-sensei knew you weren't a bad actor. I mean, you normally do a good job when we read aloud in English class."

"Yeah, but—"

"Eh, don't worry about it. We know you're really a girl."

Umino smiled grimly. Would 'pretending' to be a guy expose everyone to the fact that, in reality, he _was_ one?

"What about me, Usa?" Naru stood on her toes, trying to see over the crowd.

Being closer to the board, Usagi turned to look once more. When she turned back, her face was slack and her voice was higher than usual. "Naru, y-you got the lead. You're going to play the role of Sailor Moon."

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**Cultural Note #1:** Kimura Takuya is a famous celebrity in Japan. He has been in many TV dramas (of which _Beautiful Life_ and _Hero _are probably two of his most famous roles), and he is also in the music group SMAP (from Johnny's Entertainment), which, while not as popular as it once was, is still a pretty huge force to reckon with when they do release something these days. Ayumi Hamasaki is mostly a singer (one of the most famous female singers in Japan), but she has been in a couple of movies and dramas. You can check out more information on both singers at (www) wiki (dot) d-addicts (dot) com. I picked these two celebrities because they had a slew of stuff going on in the 1990s, but they're still doing things today. I don't really want to date this story too much, so if I pick people who have been around a long time, it can be a modern-day story or one from the real timeline, whichever you prefer. If I picked someone like Oguri Shun, even though he was acting in the 90s, he wasn't famous yet, and not the eye candy he is today, so Usagi wouldn't necessarily pick him. Also, I ALMOST chose Sawai Miyuu as an option because that was the actress who played Usagi in PGSM, but she hasn't really done anything else outside of idol work, so again, I'd date it too much. ^_^

**Cultural Note #2:** Birth control isn't as common in Japan as it is in other countries, but it's becoming more popular with the younger sect. Even though it's sold here now, there aren't that many options for it.

**Cultural Note #3:** _~sensei _is used when talking to a teacher. Like the above note, it is a position. In a school setting, if you were to say Takada_-sensei_, in essence, you are saying, "Mr. Takada." Teachers are always addressed as such in Japan.

**Cultural Note #4:** Just like in other countries, a student's homeroom teacher also teaches a subject. Also, in Japan, students don't move from classroom to classroom. They stay in one class for the entire day. It is the teachers that go from room to room. There is one main Teacher's Room where all teachers have their own desks.

Homeroom also (usually) lasts for a full period here and can be held at different times of the day, whereas in the USA, for example, it is first thing in the morning for a handful of minutes before classes begin for the day.

**Cultural Note #5:** Yes, even in Japan, students have to read _Romeo and Juliet_. Of course, it's been translated into Japanese! Usually, the curriculum has them read this when they are third year junior high students, which is the same age as a ninth grader in the USA. (I'm not sure about other countries, sorry.)

**Cultural Note #6:** The Takarazuka Revue has five performing troupes that rotate through Japan. They have a huge fan-base, so tickets can be hard to come by, especially for more popular shows such as _Elisabeth_ (originally a German musical). They also have a fan club, where fans have the first shot at buying tickets, among other things. The Revue is also popular outside of Japan, but it is harder and more expensive to get/find tickets, memorabilia, etc. You can Wiki it for more info. ^_^

**Random Story Note:** Believe it or not, there is a reason we call Haruna-sensei, well, _Haruna-sensei_. Many of you may not know this, but Haruna is actually the teacher's FIRST name, not her last name. Much like in other countries, if a teacher introduces themselves by first name, that is what they wish to be called. This is even prevalent in a more formal country such as Japan. In Japan, it is mostly female teachers who do this, and it also done more typically with younger children, according to my friend Keera.

**Author's Note:** Okay, I was THISCLOSE to having Umino play the role of SM b/c I thought it would be really funny. It would be too impossible to pull off, though. Also, I never would have had the idea if it wasn't for a review from Ellen Kuhfeld. She wanted to see Tuxedo Melvin. Well, this is the next best thing. What do you think about what I've done with the idea? I'm really looking forward to the next chapter, and I hope you all will, too! (Plus, for those who like Mamoru, he'll be putting in another appearance, as will Minako and Motoki. I hope you like the next arc, because I had a blast writing it! In fact, I think the next chapter is my absolute favorite so far.)

So, see? Sometimes, reviews really do matter! Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas, please. If I use them or get inspired, I'll be sure to credit you the same as I did the fabulous Ellen Kuhfeld!

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or e-mail ladybaine at gmail dot com today!

**«·´`·.(*·.¸(`·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·*).·´`·»  
«·´¨*·.¸¸. *Baine*.¸¸.·*¨`·»  
«·´`·.(¸.·´(¸.·* *·.¸)`·.¸).·´`·»**


	7. Chapter 7

As We Stumble Along

Chapter 7/?  
By Baine  
Email: ladybaine at gmail dot com  
Written: August 6th, 2007

Posted: December 16th, 2007

This is my favorite chapter to date. It was an absolute joy to write. Please let me know if you enjoy reading it!

***—(number)** _Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story._

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**As We Stumble Along  
Chapter Seven  
****«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

"I'm going to play Sailor Moon?" Naru whispered in shock, hand rising to touch her hair. "I don't look like her at all, though."

Shrugging off her disappointment, Usagi grinned at her friend. "Hey, I don't look like Beryl, but that's what wigs are for, right?" She gave her friend a speculative look. "You know, it's funny. If we had each other's hair, we wouldn't need to resort to such measures, would we?"

Naru laughed nervously, still fussing with a loose strand that kept dropping out of her short ponytail. "True." Her worried expression soon faded as it was overtaken by a more playful one. "Guess you can't be my roommate anymore, Umi. We're about to be lovers, after all."

Umino almost spit out the water in his mouth, fingers gripping the small clear bottle so tightly that it began to curve inwards. An image of him and Naru sprung to mind, vivid and tantalizing. Why had she felt the need to bring that up? Now he wouldn't be able to look at her without thinking about... He snapped to attention and tried to focus on what Naru was saying, but all he could see was the shape of her mouth, petal-pink lips unfurling as they continued to form words that never reached his ears. Suddenly, he felt the urge to reach out and quiet her chatter with a kiss. How would her lips taste? Would they be as sweet as the cherry-flavored gloss she'd loaned him the week before? Would they be dark and sultry as a forbidden kiss must surely feel? Would her breath still smell like the mint she'd consumed at lunchtime? He nearly groaned, struggling to maintain a straight face as he nodded along to whatever Naru was saying.

She could be talking about the wonders of cheese for all he knew. He could hear nothing save for the rush of blood currently pounding in his ears. The hallway suddenly felt warm and he pulled at his sailor collar, trying to bring a little air to his neck.

Glancing over at Usagi in order to rid his thoughts of his roommate, he recalled the blonde mentioning a kissing scene between the two leads. A kiss? His vision blurred anew. He'd have to practice kissing her...then kiss her for real...and would she find out his secret? At the moment, he couldn't bring himself to care. The scene would be even better than one where he merely watched two random girls kiss because he'd actually be in on the action...and Naru's mouth was sure to be warm and inviting. He frowned as reality tapped at the edge of his thoughts. Hadn't Usagi also mentioned faking the kiss? Surely that was unnecessary now since he wasn't really a girl. Then again, they didn't know that, did they? He'd hate to cause problems for Naru by having everyone think she was gay. Then again, if she really _was_ gay, perhaps he could pretend to be as well so they could have a real relationship...? The thought brought him crashing back to reality. What had he been thinking about just now? This was _Naru_, his roommate, his friend. There wouldn't, _couldn't_ be anything more between them.

Hearing Naru call his name as she poked his shoulder, Umino let out a dazed, "Hai?"

"Still in shock, huh?" Usagi smirked as she swung an arm around his shoulder from behind, her soft breasts pressing innocently against his back as she leaned in close. He shifted and tried to move forward without setting off any strange vibes. It wouldn't do to have an incident in the middle of the hallway when he was surrounded by females.

Latching on to the excuse so easily provided him, he fought to keep a steady voice as he replied, "I really thought I'd be playing the part of a villain."

Naru cast him a speculative look. "You know, perhaps you were cast because of how you look."

"How I...look?" Umino nervously pushed up his glasses.

"Well, you're one of the tallest girls in class, after all."

"Naru, I'm short."

"No you're not. You're pretty tall for a girl. I mean, yeah, if you were really a guy or something, you'd be on the short side, but it won't matter on stage so long as you're taller than me." She grinned and winked.

"So I got the role because I'm tall?" Wait until the gang back home heard this one. His eyes glowed at the notion. They'd think twice about saddling him down with short jokes!

"Well, possibly. It's probably one reason, anyway, even if it's not the only one. For example, because you were glasses, it will be easy to hide them beneath the domino mask. Also, your shoulders are a bit broader than normal, so you'll fill out a tuxedo nicely."

The girls continued to laugh and joke as they dragged Umino to the cafeteria. As much as he wanted the play to be a success, he dreaded having everyone find out he was an imposter. He'd be kicked out of the school for sure and no respectable high school would take him in after such a scandal. Would his new friends still like him when they found out the truth, or would they deem him a pervert and wipe their memories of him from existence?

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

The rest of the month passed in a flash. There were times when Umino became frustrated enough to give up and end the charade once and for all. He had thought being a girl was hard, but now he also had to impersonate a girl who was pretending to be a guy. Every day, he feared someone would discover his secret.

"Bring your voice down another octave. You still don't sound manly enough! Start over from the top of the scene."

Umino smiled wryly as he apologized to Haruna-sensei once more. They were going into the final week of rehearsals and now that everyone had memorized their lines and stage cues, they were working on voice inflection. It was really hard for him to find a happy medium between the two without giving himself away.

Usagi shot him a sympathetic smile. "If it makes you feel better, I don't sound evil enough."

Umino tweaked her nose. "That's 'cuz it's outside your nature to be so. You're one of the people in this world least-likely to have an evil bone in her body."

Usagi brought a hand to her face, giving him an odd look, her cheeks a faint shade of pink.

"What?" Why did her look suddenly make him feel uneasy?

"Nothing, really," she mused, pulling her hand down and turning it toward herself, tilting it toward the light. "Should I get my nails done professionally, or just buy press-ons? I'm afraid they'll fall off during the show if I buy them from the store, but they need to be really long and I don't want to get them done professionally and be stuck with them after the show."

"Um," Umino furrowed his brow, eyes analyzing Usagi's facial expression. What game was she playing? Had she discovered something and changed the subject, or had the topic made her uneasy for some reason, or was she just being her flaky, scatterbrained self? If she had been Mina, it would definitely be the latter of the three, but Usagi was smarter than that, despite her pretense of being flighty and carefree. Well, for now, he'd play her game. After all, there was a one in three chance that she really had just randomly changed the subject. For now, he'd assume she hadn't become suspicious or, worse yet, discovered his secret.

Pretending to seriously ponder the blonde's question, Umino mused, "Why don't you just get them done, then trim them down after the show?"

Usagi winced at the idea. "It would be better to just go back and pay even more to have them removed." She turned her hand again, her eyes narrow and bright. "I could live with long nails for a week if I could get funky detailing done to them. Think Haruna-sensei would let me modify the design a bit?"

"What kind of detail, like making them multi-colored?"

"Mm, or a pattern or something," she mused as she tapped a finger against her jaw. "You know, do something cool a la Ayumi Hamasaki. That girl always has the most amazing nails. Did you see the pictures in the liner notes of her last album? I swear, she must have used real bits of lace. Her actual nails must be totally destroyed by now. I guess it's worth it to have such beautiful hands, though, don't you think?"

"Pain is beauty," he quipped, mimicking the phrase he always heard females utter when defending the crazy logic explaining why they dressed the way they did.

"Exactly," she murmured, biting down on her lower lip, her eyes hazy with thoughts. "Maybe I'll get a pedicure, too. I know this great place that does massages and everything. At least Beryl doesn't have long toenails. Can you imagine walking around with claws protruding from your feet?"

"Can you even _get _fake toenails?"

"Of course, why not?"

Umino blinked, taken back by Usagi's response. "Why would you _want_ to?"

"To show off at the beach or when wearing cute sandals or something? Haven't you noticed how ugly toenails are if you don't do anything to them?"

"Not really, no." He could never decide if he was relieved or annoyed by the fact that Usagi was the quintessential girly-girl. On the one hand, it made it easier to slip into his role while around other females because the topic wasn't new to him, but on the other, he must seem completely abnormal to her, though she was sweet enough never to mention the fact. He turned back to the stage, noticing Naru was about to cue him on.

"Hey, Umi?"

"Yeah?"

She lowered her voice a couple of octaves and grinned. "Break a leg out there, okay? You can do it!"

"Thanks, Usa." He offered her a weak smile as he stepped forward and headed toward center stage, suddenly envious of the way Usagi had been able to lower her voice with ease. In life, being a guy had its sucky moments. Unfortunately, this was one of those times.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

The morning of the cultural festival dawned bright and clear, a good omen of the day to come. Nervous excitement loomed in the air, hovering around corners as girls skittishly raced from one room to the next, making sure nothing would be forgotten at the last minute.

After making sure they'd left nothing of their own behind, Naru and Umino headed down to the cafeteria for lunch. The tension in the room was palpable to such an extent that Umino found himself able to do little more than push his food around on his plate, afraid he'd further upset his already-turbulent stomach.

"—your parents coming to visit today too, right Umi?"

Umino looked over at Usagi, who he'd inadvertently tuned out while worry about the afternoon to come. "Hmm?"

Usagi repeated her question and Umino quickly shook his head in response. He hadn't even mentioned today to his parents, not wanting them to find out he'd enrolled at an all-girl's school. The information would do nothing but worry them. They'd probably send him off to a therapist or something to find out what had gone wrong.

Putting down his fork and swallowing a mouthful of rubbery egg, he verbalized his response. "They couldn't make it today. Some friends of mine are coming, though."

Usagi crinkled her nose at the prospect. "That jerk isn't coming, is he?"

"You mean Mamoru? Unfortunately for you, yes. He isn't coming alone, though. My friends Minako and Motoki will be with them. Nobody else could, uh, get away. Everyone's studying for the upcoming exams. Motoki's a bit of a jokester, so don't take him too seriously. Minako is—well, she's Minako." He laughed, unsure how to explain his friend's spastic personality.

"Well, so long as they're not like _him_, I'm sure I'll love them." Usagi shot him a toothy smile as she shoveled the last of her meal into her mouth, causing Umino to revel once more at her metabolism.

"I still don't get your deal with Mamoru. He's really not a bad guy."

"Eh, just a vibe, y'know?"

Women and their _vibes_. Umino restrained himself from rolling his eyes. How could they be so wishy-washy when it came to feelings and emotions, yet so spot-on with everything else in life?

"When are they meeting you?"

"Soon, actually; they'll call when they get here."

"Didn't you turn off your cell when we left the room earlier?" Naru piped up from across the table, no longer engrossed in conversation with Kokoro and Kaneko Fumi.

Umino's eyes widened. "Er..." He dug his phone from the overstuffed bag at his feet and grimaced. Shit. Rapidly turning it on, he checked for new messages and sighed in relief. "Nothing yet." As he spoke the words, the phone in his hand began to vibrate as it played EXILE's latest Oricon hit. ***—1**

He flipped his phone open and brought it to his right ear with a startled, "_Moshi-moshi?"_

Ignoring the chatter around him, he attempted to focus on Minako's fast-paced chatter. Covering his left ear to drown out the extraneous noise, he uttered, "Wait, what? You're where?"

Minako's laughter bubbled through the receiver and Umino was suddenly struck with a pang of homesickness. "We'll be at the quad in a few minutes. Is that okay? It's the only place Mamoru can remember the route to without getting us all lost."

"Yeah, sure, that's fine."

"See you in a few, then! I have a surprise for you, too."

"A sur—" Umino frowned as the dial tone sounded in his ear. He could still remember the last time Minako decided to `surprise' him, and the results hadn't been pretty. Her latest proclamation had just caused the butterflies warming up in his stomach to begin an elaborate dance.

"—they on the way?"

"Huh?" He looked over at Naru, a dazed look on his face until her question penetrated his brain. "Oh, yeah."

She shot him a probing look. "Is everything okay? You look strange."

"Stranger than usual, you mean?" he laughed, watching his roommate's face slowly relax, though a wary look still lingered in her eyes. "Everything's fine, really. That was my friend Minako on the phone. They'll be at the quad soon."

"Want some company? I'm done eating."

"Me too," Usagi mumbled, cramming one last biscuit into her already-full mouth.

Rei flinched and crinkled her nose as she brushed a stray crumb from her uniform. "That's so nasty, Usa. Can't you at least chew with your mouth closed? I swear, you must have been raised in a barn."

Umino rolled his eyes and stood, bringing his tray to the drop-off area to be cleaned before a food fight broke out. As he placed his tray onto a revolving cylinder, he was joined by his friends, Usagi and Rei still squabbling in the background.

"I swear," he murmured to Naru, "I don't know how there hasn't been a report of homicide yet."

Naru cracked a smile. "They must have nine lives or something." She cast a cursory glance over her shoulder. "Then again, perhaps Rei's already done the deed and now Usagi's haunting her. It would explain her bottomless appetite."

Umino smothered a laugh as they headed outside, the tension slowly slipping from his shoulders. He felt incredibly lucky to have Naru as his roommate. Not only was she one of the nicest people he'd ever had the pleasure of meeting, she also had this uncanny tendency to act as a sedative. It was easier to calm down and relax when Naru was around.

The small group cut behind another dorm and emerged at the back of their own building. Umino pulled his ID card from a keychain in his purse and held the door open so the others could enter before him. They walked past the elevators toward the lobby and out the front entrance. Umino scanned the sprawling quad stretched before him, but didn't see his friends.

Usagi turned to face Umino, cheeks still flushed from her latest quarrel with Rei. "You said you had three friends coming, right? Two guys and a girl?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Is the guy I haven't met cute?"

"Er, well, he'll be here soon, so you can see for yourself." He wasn't about to take part in a conversation that revolved around rating one of his best friends. Besides, he was a guy, so he couldn't accurately judge Motoki's `cute factor.' If he got it wrong, he could blow his cover, yet if he got it right, he'd never be able to look his friend in the eye again.

"But can't—"

"Hey, there they are!" he let out a sigh of relief, glad to detract Usagi from her current line of thought.

Noticing Umino as she walked closer, Minako began to wave wildly, coming close to clipping Mamoru in the nose.

"That's them?" A curious expression spread across Usagi's face as she eyed the newcomers as they approached.

"Yep."

"Hm, he _is_ cute. You're so lucky, Umino. I wish we had guys enrolled here." Usagi pursed her lips, eyes focused on the trio almost upon them. Her cheeks appeared to be pinker than they had been a moment ago, but Umino was too focused on his friends to pay too much attention to the every nuance of the girl beside him.

He grinned at his friends as they approached, unsure how to react. He couldn't greet the boys the way he normally would, and as for Minako, well, how were girls supposed to treat each other after a long absence? Minako inadvertently solved the problem for him as she launched herself into his arms and nearly bowled him over.

"Hey, Minako," he laughed, awkwardly patting her on the back and pulling away. "How've you been?"

"Oh, great, especially now that we're here. I thought we'd never get off that train."

"What was wrong?"

"Nothing really, just Motoki poking fun at me again."

Umino caught the eye of his sandy-haired friend, who grinned and rolled his eyes at Minako's comment. "What were you doing to warrant his teasing?"

"Me? Nothing! He was totally picking on me just because, I dunno, he was bored or something."

"If you say so..." Umino had known Minako long enough to realize she wasn't always as innocent as she claimed to be. "Anyway, come meet my friends," he stated, turning as he went through the rigmarole of introductions.

Minako peered over Umino's shoulder, analyzing the girls standing before her in a way that made Umino wonder if she was staking out the competition. The thought quickly fled his mind as she zoomed in on Usagi, exclaiming, "Wow, you look like me!"

"Um..." Usagi blinked in surprise.

"Let me guess, you're playing Sailor Moon, right? You look great. I've tried styling my hair like that, but it just never looks right."

Cheeks flushing, Usagi lowered her head and murmured, "No, I'm playing the role of Queen Beryl, actually. Umi's roommate Naru got cast as Sailor Moon."

"Wow, really? So you, like, wear your hair like that just for fun?"

"Um, I guess so?" Usagi nervously pet her head, feeling to make sure nothing was wrong with it.

"Cool."

Stepping backwards slightly so that his foot came down upon Minako's, Umino smiled and discretely bumped her aside. "Don't mind her, Usagi. Minako doesn't know the meaning of the word tact."

"Sure I do. It's that glue you use for crafts and stuff. I'm not the dullest crayon in the box, you know."

"The dullest..." Umino closed his eyes to prevent a groan from escaping. "That's not how you use that saying at all, Mins."

Minako shrugged, her blunder already forgotten as she continued prattling on.

"So," Mamoru proclaimed, dropping a hand onto Minako's shoulder and tightening his grip in an attempt to silence her, "What time is your performance?"

"The show starts at 4 p.m. in the Shimiki Auditorium."

"Okay, where's that?"

"Across campus in a wing of the main building. We have to go there early, so I won't be able to take you."

"Sure you will, Umi. Well, you can take me, at least. Can't have the boys in your fitting room, now, can we?" Minako tossed Umino a saucy wink.

"What makes you think I want you there when I'm trying to concentrate?"

"Because I'm your makeup artist, of course!"

"My—"

"Surprise! Aren't you just thrilled? I came so close to telling you over the phone, but I really wanted to surprise you, and—"

Umino waved a hand in front of Minako's face, watching as her eyes compulsively followed the movement. "Mins, breathe."

Mina let out a huffy breath of air with a scowl. "I'm not a child, you know. Besides, look at you—you're absolutely hopeless. I can make you look more masculine."

Umino shot her a quelling look. "I don't want—"

"Nonsense, Minako-mama knows what's best for you, so let her do her job." She grinned and latched onto Umino's arm. "Anyway, you can't leave me alone with these two. I don't want to watch their so-called `moves' as they attempt to pick up chicks."

Motoki scowled indignantly. "Hey, those so-called moves work really well, thankyouverymuch."

_Great_, Umino thought with an internal groan, _Now I have another pair of feuding friends on campus to deal with._

"So, will you guys be going back right after the performance, or will you stick around for a bit? We're allowed off-campus this evening, so we could go out to dinner or something."

Mamoru thoughtfully ran a finger along his jaw. "Sure, that sounds good."

"Well, uh," Umino glanced at his watch again. "Do you guys wanna go see what some of the other classes are doing before it's time to get ready?"

Naru nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's. Class 3-2 has been hyping up their haunted house all week. If it's as good as they say it is, they might take first place instead of us!"

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

"Minako, I look like a boy." Umino frowned as he stared into the mirror of a nearby bathroom that they'd managed to secure.

"Got news for you, sugar," Minako drawled, "you're not really a girl. Your parents have been lying to you for years."

"Cute, really cute." He turned to face her. "Mins, if I go out there like this, they'll _know_."

"No they won't. That's why I've been making such a big production out of the fact I'm doing your makeup. They don't have to know that, aside from cold-cream, everything else is natural."

"Can't I at least wear my glasses? I mean—"

"Why would you _want _to? I mean, they're so ugly!"

"Yes, but—"

"No, no, we're sticking to the plan. You're wearing `contacts' at the moment because it'll be easier to wear the mask later." She teased his hair into place and murmured, "Besides, people never look for the unexpected. If they think you're a girl, that's what they'll see, even if you're blatantly parading around as a guy. It's human nature to be easily deceived."

"Wow, Mins, that's deep."

"Isn't it? I heard it on TV recently and immediately thought of you!"

Umino mentally groaned, but outwardly held his tongue. As flaky as his friend could be, he wouldn't change her for the world. It was nice to see that some things hadn't changed during his absence.

Minako hummed as she reached up to knot the necktie of his `uniform,' a costume that, when paired with a suit coat, top-hat and mask, doubled as his `hero get-up.' It was a blessing in disguise because he wouldn't need to change in the wings with the other girls. He also hadn't needed to have his inseam measured by the costume designer since he was able to bring in his own black pants and white shirt. The class had tried to scrounge up as many props as possible so the class budget could be saved for things that weren't easily obtainable. In the end, he'd only needed to be measured for a jacket and hat.

Suddenly, Minako stuck something dark near Umino's eye, causing it to water. "Ow! Damn it, Minako, what the hell did you just do?"

"I'm just applying the eyeliner. Stop wriggling and—No, don't _touch _it!"

"My eye burns; that stuff hurts!"

"Stop being such a baby and hold still." She finished with a flourish, a smirk hovering at the edge of her lips as she continued to abuse Umino's face.

"So," she breathed as she finished and re-capped the applicator, "How are you _really_ adjusting to life as a girl?"

"It's harder than I thought it'd be, honestly. Even with your tutoring, there are still so many things I have no clue about. I don't know how you girls do it."

"Ah, well, I'm sure I'd be saying the same thing if I decided to disguise myself as a guy. We always talk about the mysteries of the opposite sex, and we think we've figured things out, but in the end, everything is still just a big mystery, you know?"

"I couldn't have said it better myself."

Minako pulled back with a grin and nodded as she analyzed Umino for the last time. "Okay, Prince Charming, let's get this show on the road."

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

The performance began without a hitch and time seemed to fly by. At first, the girls had marveled over his stunning `transformation,' but Minako had been right—in their eyes, he was still a female. The girls had raved so much over Minako's `skills' that she'd promised to come back and open shop for the school's end-of-year dance.

Before the curtains had risen for the first time, his classmates had smothered their giggles from the wings as they swayed to the orchestrations booming from the sound system. Usagi had attempted to drag Naru into a dance, but kept tripping over the hem of her long gown and finally gave up.

When the performance finally began, Umino found himself swept away by the magic of the stage. He stepped outside himself, no longer Umino Gurio, no longer `Umi,' but the most famous caped hero in all of Tokyo. The make-believe world from the script sprung to life and, fueled by the energy of the audience, Umino tapped into a well of adrenaline he never knew he had. It was a high like no other and he had to wonder if this was the reason Usagi had joined the drama club. As the last of his nerves slid away, the fear of exposing himself never even crossed his mind.

It wasn't until the play's final scene that reality came crashing down around him as he reenacted the story's final battle. This was the one scene they had blocked, but never practiced, and suddenly, Umino found himself scarcely able to breathe as he felt his roommate lying beneath him. He reached out and rolled the two of them away from the enemy. Hearing Usagi loudly create her death scene behind him, he slowly sat up, pulling himself away from Naru's crushed form beneath him. Still kneeling, he offered her his hand, drawing her up alongside him.

Naru sat slowly, her blonde wig slipping forward slightly as the fake bangs made their way toward her eyes. Swinging into a kneeling position herself, she came closer to him, giving him a beseeching look as she silently raised a perfectly-manicured hand and placed it against Umino's cheek. The action caused his heart to beat crazily against his chest, hammering out a rhythm that left his palms sweating while his lungs gasped for air.

He could feel Naru's fingers tremble against his skin as she slowly unhooked the mask and began to lower it. Why did this time feel so different from all the rehearsals? Was it because Minako had used makeup to make him look like a man? Was it because he was finally seeing Naru through eyes no longer veiled by glasses? She was so close he could see the silver flecks in her eyes. Her irises seemed almost cobalt, no longer the lighter shade of azure he'd grown accustomed to.

Umino was near enough to hear her mic pick up the quick breath she drew in. Her pulse fluttered at the base of her throat and her eyes scanned his in wonder, large and uncertain. He could feel a warm puff of air against his cheek as his mouth lingered a fraction of an inch from her own.

His blood singing and his ears ringing, he desperately wanted to close the distance and fuse their lips together, but he turned his head and faked it at the last possible second, body screaming at the injustice of it all.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**Cultural Note #1: **The Oricon Music Chart is the Japanese equivalent of the Billboard Music Chart in the USA. EXILE is a Japanese band that has been around for a long time and manages to retain its popularity. I tried to pick an artist with a wide range of songs so Umino would be more likely to use a song for a ring tone. You can choose what song he listens to, though—I didn't want to date the piece by putting in something specific. (That's another reason that I chose EXILE, too. The music is more "timeless.")

**Sneak Peek: **This is the last chapter for 2007 because I'm going on vacation at the end of the week and won't be back until 2008. And since you've been loyal readers and had to endure a long wait [sorry about that; a resolution for the new year is to have speedier updates, if possible!], here's a sneak peak at what's to come:

For part of my trip, I'll be going back to Tokyo, and I'll also be going to Tokyo Disney Sea for the second time. I have an upcoming chapter of AWSA that'll take part at TDS, and so I want to memorize the features of the park so that I can work them more seamlessly into the story. I might even write at the end of the day or the following day when I hop onto the Shinkansen. But, that's a tidbit of what's to come-and I can't wait, because this chapter is going to be *so* much fun. It'll take place somewhere in the (I think early) teens (I've finished through…either 10 or 11 atm), so please be on the lookout! I think the chapter will be a pretty big turning point!

In fact—and this is pure coincidence, because I've had this story arc in the bun for months—I'll be going to TDS on Christmas Day, and the chapter will also take place on Christmas Day, so I'll get to do some extra research that I never even anticipated, just because of how our plans lined up for the holidays. How cool is that? (That also shows you that the chapter isn't TOO far off, because the chapter you've just finished reading is set in November…)

**THANK YOU: ** I never would have had the idea if it wasn't for a review from Ellen Kuhfeld. She wanted to see Tuxedo Melvin. Well, this is the next best thing. What do you think about what I've done with the idea? I think this was my favorite chapter so far. So, see? Sometimes, reviews really do matter! Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas, please. If I use them or get inspired, I'll be sure to credit you the same as I did the fabulous Ellen Kuhfeld! I really want to make this story the best I can, and the good stuff is starting to come. Please let me know what you'd like to see, and I'll try to incorporate it into the story!

And, as always, thank you to my lovely betas, especially Nephthys Moon, since she's really busy and still manages to squeeze time in for me. *loves her Squishy*

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year, everyone! "Omedetou gozaimasu!"

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or e-mail ladybaine at gmail dot com today! (As a holiday/new year's present, please send me a review! So many people are adding this story to alert/fave/etc, and there aren't so many people reviewing it. Please send this story—and me—a little love if you're enjoying it! Onegaishimasu!

**«·´`·.(*·.¸(`·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·*).·´`·»  
«·´¨*·.¸¸. *Baine*.¸¸.·*¨`·»  
«·´`·.(¸.·´(¸.·* *·.¸)`·.¸).·´`·»**


	8. Chapter 8

As We Stumble Along

Chapter 8/?

By Baine

Finished: September 26th, 2007

Posted: February 29, 2008

This is a predominantly Usagi/Mamoru-focused chapter today, but the next chapter will balance it with a big Naru/Umino scene because they've gotta talk *sometime.* Right now, we need all that awkward tension between them, right?

Sorry for the delay. I was waiting for some edits to come back. They haven't yet, so I'll have to come back in with changes later. I felt guilty leaving y'all hanging, though! So please ignore anything funky. Sorry!

***—(number)** _Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story._

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**As We Stumble Along  
Chapter Eight  
****«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

Outwardly, the dim lighting of the okonomiyaki restaurant seemed too dismal for a celebratory get-together, but once inside the establishment, the loud chatter and pulsing music combined to form a cheery environment. ***—1**

Crowding into a booth, Umino sat with Naru, Usagi, and his friends back home, while his other friends from school took the one behind them.

"You guys really did a good job up there," Minako trilled, flopping her elbows onto the table as she pulled a menu to her face. "I still can't get over how real it all felt."

Usagi grinned at the blonde sitting across from her. "We did do well, didn't we? I was so afraid we'd screw up." Gazing across the table, she added, "Despite your protests, you did really well, Umi. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought you were actually a male."

"Haha, imagine that," he choked, glaring daggers at Minako, who merely buried her head further into the table's menu**.*****—2**

"I mean, the way your voice got all deep and husky in the last scene was just—wow. Where did that come from?" Usagi cupped her chin in the palm of her hand and leaned against the table, blue eyes sparkling with anticipation as they locked onto his own, more nervous orbs.

"Er, I guess everything just clicked into place? In the end, I _was_ my character." He shifted uncomfortably, ignoring the knowing smirks spreading across the faces of his male friends.

"Well, whatever you did, it was completely believable. I totally felt like Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon had come to life before my eyes. You and Naru had such great chemistry going on, too. At the end, I thought you were actually gonna kiss her!"

Umino flushed and quickly shook his head. "It's just because we naturally get along well. I'm sure being roommates has strengthened our bond, don't you agree, Naru?"

"Hmm?" the red-head quickly lifted her gaze to meet his own, biting her lip and looking away just as fast. "Probably, yeah. I mean, what else could it have been?"

Usagi pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I'd say join the Drama Club, but I fear they'd start giving you and Naru all the juicy parts."

Umino laughed nervously. "Plus, Minako won't always be around to work her makeup magic."

"Oh, that's right," Usagi exclaimed, an impish smile spreading across her face. "You should transfer to our school. You can be our permanent makeup artist."

Minako laughed cheerfully. "I'm not smart enough to pass the entrance exam." She glanced over at Umino and winked. "It's too bad; I'm a bit sad Umi decided to leave me surrounded by a pack of boys."

Mamoru let out a hearty chuckle. "Please, Mins, you're loving every minute of it. All the girls are envious and all the guys are jealous."

"True, true. Then again, I can never get a date 'cuz my admirers are always afraid you and 'Toki will beat them up."

Pausing to discuss what ingredients everyone wanted for their okonomiyaki, the group placed their order. Trying to relieve the tension that had been building all evening, Umino shot Naru a playful smile. "Hey, Naru, sad they don't have any _teishoku__ specials for you here?" _***—3**

_The redhead furrowed her brow, looking into his eyes for the first time that night. "U_h, no, why?"

"Well, you're from Osaka, right? Don't you guys think okonomiyaki is incomplete without rice and stuff?"

Shooting him a quelling look, Naru's lips twisted into a frown as everyone else began to tease her about her prefecture's odd taste preferences. "We're not all like that, y'know. I mean, sure, we like rice with our okonomiyaki, but we eat more than just that these days! I mean, having that for a meal on its own..."

The table laughed as they continued to poke fun at her before moving on to tease one another about personal preferences, falling to silence as the waitress returned with their order, which they immediately began to pour onto the skillet imbedded in the center of the table. ***—1**

Poking at the batter with his spatula, Umino kept his eyes focused on the task before him, grateful for the distraction. He still wasn't sure what had happened earlier and didn't feel like talking about it. The play had stirred up strange emotions he hadn't known existed and he had an overwhelming urge to keep them close so no one else could find them.

He glanced over at Naru from the corner of his eye. She was leaning over the table, her chest brushing against its surface as she helped flip the mixture over, the cloth dipping a bit to reveal a tantalizing glimpse of hidden curves. Her shiny red hair glowed like fire as it reflected the light. Wisps of hair clung to her forehead as she exposed her face to the heat of the table grill. Her lower lip quivered and darkened in color as she gnawed on it. Looking away from the tempting sight, his eyes swept across her face as though he were seeing her for the first time. Her cheeks and the bridge of her nose were smattered with a sprinkling of golden freckles that rippled like the sea as she scrunched her face in concentration, her azure pupils all but disappearing as she squeezed them shut. The action only made her look more adorable.

Umino gulped and quickly glanced away as Naru opened her eyes and looked in his direction. Why was he suddenly seeing her as a girl? Not that she hadn't always been, of course. He just hadn't really seen her as anything more than his roommate and friend. Now, she was stirring emotions in him that he was having trouble identifying. It wasn't quite like anything he'd felt before. What had happened onstage to cause this change? He suddenly felt awkward, nervous, and more aware of his masculinity than he had in a while. He wasn't sure he'd be able to act normally around her, and she was his roommate, so he had no choice but to see her constantly.

He peered over at her again. It wasn't like she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen or anything. With her wholesome features, she shouldn't captivate him to the extent she did. Perhaps she was a sorceress? With her vibrant mane of hair, it wouldn't surprise him.

"Umi?" a deep voice called, interrupting Umino from his thoughts.

"Hmm?" he answered, looking across the table at Mamoru, who sat with a smug look plastered across his face.

"I think it's done."

"Oh, right." Umino flushed, quickly splitting the food and scooping it into the bowls waiting to be filled.

"So," he added, distributing the bowls around the table and keeping one for himself, "What kind of prize do we get for placing first?"

"A BBQ party at the pool next Friday. We get to miss the last two periods in addition to our normal lunch break." An exuberant grin spread across Usagi's face.

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in," Rei grumbled from the other table, poking at her food with one of her wooden chopsticks and watching it wriggle as though it were the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen.

Usagi rubbed her hands together and smirked over at her roommate. "Trust me, I will." She leaned backwards to get a better view of the table behind her and would have fallen off the bench if Mamoru hadn't placed an arm around her shoulders to catch her at the last minute.

Once she was sitting upright once more, Usagi turned to her left and scowled at Mamoru. "I can sue you for sexual harassment, you know."

Mamoru's mouth dropped open in shock and a dark look flitted across his face. "What are you talking about? I just saved you from breaking your neck."

"No one asked you to. I don't even recall saying you could sit next to me to begin with. You're like a stalker or something."

Shooting her a contemptuous look, Mamoru growled, "What crack are you on? In case you haven't realized, Blondie, I'm here because I'm friends with Umi, whom I'm sitting directly across from. You're at the end of the table, so you sat down next to _me_."

Unable to refute his statement, Usagi retaliated by jabbing him in the ribs. "Don't call me that."

"What, Blondie? Why not? It's the truth, after all."

"It's derogatory, though. I'm not stupid."

"Are you sure? You certainly act like you are."

Usagi's eyes flashed with disdain. "If I was, I wouldn't be sitting here right now. Sakura Kita doesn't accept idiots, you know." Then again, if I wasn't here, I'd have never had the displeasure of meeting _you_."

A hard glint entered Mamoru's eyes and he tilted his chin arrogantly, a gesture Umino hadn't seen him do since they were twelve. "I'm smarter than you any day."

Usagi scoffed. "Prove it."

"How, by cross-dressing and beating you on every test?"

Usagi's lips quivered in an attempt to curve upwards, but she quelled the notion, keeping them firmly in line. "Funny as that would be, there's no way you'd pull it off. You're too ugly to be a girl."

Mamoru laughed, startled. "That's the first time I've heard that one."

"Well, get used to it, 'cause it's true. You'd make a hideous female."

"AT least I'm secure in the knowledge that you think I'm better-looking as a male," he stated, voice drole as a smug expression made its way back across his face.

Usagi opened her mouth to refute him, then quickly closed it again, reminding Umino of a gaping fish. Unable to think up a witty retort, she turned her attention to the hand still splayed across her shoulder. "If you're done pawing me, get your nasty hand as far away as possible."

"Who said I was done?" He shot her a lecherous grin and pressed down just to infuriate her further.

Grunting, she twisted in her chair and would have succeeded at kicking him in the shins if he hadn't moved out of the way.

Eyes burning with indecipherable emotions, Mamoru ground out, "Listen here, Odango—"

"Odango!" Usagi screeched, cheeks darkening with fury. "That's even worse than Blondie!"

"How so? It doesn't insult your intelligence, does it? I thought that's what you wanted."

"What I want is for you to leave me the hell alone."

"It isn't my fault you style your hair to look like food."

Raising her nose toward the ceiling, Usagi adopted an icy tone of voice as she primly proclaimed, "You need to prune your friends and weed out the bad ones, Umi."

"Yeah, starting with you."

With a haughty toss of her head, Usagi peered over at Mamoru once more. "You think you're so smart, don't you?"

"We're back to this, are we?" Mamoru shoveled the last of his food into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully, eyeing the petite girl sitting beside him and causing her to squirm nervously.

"What?" she asked, a look of trepidation crossing her face as his eyes turned predatory.

"I was thinking..."

"No."

"Huh?"

"Whatever you were thinking, the answer's no."

""Hear me out first, won't you?"

A low tsk of disapproval rumbled from Usagi's throat, but she held her tongue and imperiously waved for him to continue.

"I think we should have a little competition."

"What kind?" she asked, interest piqued, though she tried to hide the fact by playing with her chopsticks.

"It'll be a game of knowledge." A feral look entered his eyes, causing them to glow as he stared down at his prey.

Usagi furrowed her eyebrows. "How do I know you won't cheat by looking at the questions early?"

"We'll have an impartial bystander make them up."

"Like who?"

"I dunno, a teacher, maybe? We can discuss it later."

"What's the point of the game, to see how badly I can trounce you?"

"No, to prove that neither of us is stupid."

"And the prize?"

"Winner's choice—within reason, of course."

"So I can ask you to stop calling me stupid nicknames and leave me the hell alone?"

"If you'd like."

She shot him a calculating look. "Okay, fine. It's a deal."

"Shake on it, Odango?"

She eyed his hand with disdain, but slowly reached toward it with her own, barely touching it before she dropped it like a hot cake and wiped her fingers against her wash towel. "You won't be calling me that for long, baka."

"You never know, I might win."

"And if you do? What kind of prize could you possibly wish to claim?"

Mamoru smirked and leaned toward her. Because the restaurant was so crowded, Umino couldn't make out what his friend whispered to Usagi, but judging from her wide eyes before she began screeching unintelligibly, he assumed it couldn't have been anything good.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

Hmm, this chapter was pretty short and mostly Usa/Mamo focused, but my muse finally decided to start playing nice again, so I thought it best to be accommodating. What did Mamoru say to Usagi? Oh, I like this new twist that my muse has given to me. Things are about to get more interesting, so stay tuned!

**Cultural Note #1: ** Okonomiyaki is very hard to explain! It's easier just to look on Wikipedia or some other website. Visuals are much easier than what I can do. Many people will call it a Japanese-style pizza, but it's not like a pizza at all. There's no dough. They're only similar because you can choose the toppings (though it's more of an internal ingredient here) and sometimes, it can be circular. I would say that it's a bit more like a pancake because of the batter that is required when you're making it. Usually, it has a lot of cabbage, and you can add lots of ingredients: Vegetables (such as corn, which is beloved in Japan) and meat, usually seafood (Squid is extremely popular) are mixed into it. Usually, it is topped with LOTS of fish flakes and LOTS of mayonnaise and sauce dressing (you can get a lot or a drizzle, depending on where you go).

There are two ways to eat okonomiyaki when you're out and about. One is to have it made for you. This is especially true if you're at a festival or event and there are many vendor stands. This is a popular way to get okonomiyaki, though you tend to have little to no choice over ingredients. You can go to restaurants with counters where you watch the cooks make it for you, too. The most common type of restaurant, though, is the one where the tables come with this….sort of a stovetop frying pan type of thing imbedded into the middle of the surface. You'll order the ingredients you want for your okonomiyaki, and then the waiter/waitress will bring over what you've asked for and you'll cook it yourself on the surface of the table. It's incredibly hard to explain properly without seeing it online, but you can probably google for pictures of it or see them doing it via various anime/drama series and stuff….? It's a lot of fun, though, and I chose for our beloved characters to be doing this because I got the idea while watching an early episode of the Japanese version of the _Hana Kimi_ drama... [Though, personally, I prefer having someone else make it for me when I eat okonomiyaki because I never seem to cook it well!]

**Cultural Note #2: ** _ Just a short note about menus in Japan. At many (though not all) restaurants, you are only given one menu per table, or one menu per side of the table so that people can share. Especially at specialized restaurants such as ones that cater to okonomiyaki, you tend to get a "menu" that lists ingredients for your batter and stuff. There's also a side menu with drinks and other food you might order, but for a place such as this, it is a frequent occurrence to see people sharing menus. (If you come to Japan for a visit, be aware that you have maybe a 1/3 chance of getting an English-language menu. Most of the restaurants that do this are chains or heavily popular or in areas that have a large English-speaking population, such as towns with U.S. naval bases in Okinawa/Nagasaki/etc. Many menus WILL have katakana characters, though. Also, many, MANY restaurants have plastic food dishes in the windows/in displays so you can see pictures of what the food looks like. If push comes to shove, you can always point at a plastic plate or try to remember what it was called!)_

**Cultural Note #3: ** _Teishoku__ is a "form" of okonomiyaki that is most readily found in Osaka Prefecture. Basically, it's a set meal. In Japan, meals are usually very elaborate. For example, in the States, if you go to McDonald's, for a set meal, you'd get fries and a drink along with your main course. At a nicer restaurant, you can get baked potatoes and broccoli and stuff as a side. In Japan, the most traditional sides are miso soup (which you can look up on Wikipedia for details, but it's so delicious!) and rice. Also, at many restaurants, instead of a free glass of water, you get a free cup of tea—usually, but not always, green tea. In Osaka (which is in the Kansai Region of Japan [also known as the Kinki Region, but I won't get into the history of it all here]), when you order __teishoku__, it usually comes with the tea and the miso soup and the rice, and then the okonomiyaki is your main dish. To many people living in Japan—most notably in the Kanto Region, which is where Tokyo is-__teishoku__ is very shocking because they never, EVER eat okonomiyaki with rice! In fact, sometimes in Osaka, you can get a special meal called __udon-teishoku__ that comes with __udon__ (a fat, buckwheat noodle…again, you can wiki it or google for pics ^^). Again, this is frowned upon in other parts of Japan because, like rice, you don't eat __udon _with your okonomiyaki. Today, it is not so traditional, even in Osaka, to eat a main course of okonomiyaki and nothing else. It has become more of a stereotype, kind of like how in the States, it is a stereotype to say "dumb blond(e)" or that only people in New Orleans like Cajun-style food. So, a lot of people will tease people from Osaka about this stereotype of eating it as a meal, or of the fact that they, even today, eat it with rice/udon/etc. In fact, if you know the anime series _Azumanga Daioh_, one of the characters, Ayumu, is often teased about how they eat okonomiyaki in Osaka. Because Naru is from Osaka (at least, I assume she originally is, since the voice actress, Kakinuma Shino, has a heavy accent from Osaka…which is funny, because in the Japanese version of the anime, Naru's last name *is* Osaka! [Technically spelled Oosaka, but Westernized with one 'O']), I thought I would play on the stereotype a little and insert a bit about _teishoku_.

**[Wow, that was a long note. Sorry!]**

**Author's Note: ** This chapter is dedicated to my friend Sapphire Girl from the .dotmoon forum. She "watched" (via the internet while we chatted together on AIM) the J-drama _Hana Kimi _with me all summer. In its early episodes, Mizuki and Nakatsu were always at the okonomiyaki restaurant, so it became an inside joke of sorts. SG, this chapter is for you!3 Thanks for all of the great memories!

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or Email ladybaine at gmail dot com today!

**«·´`·.(*·.¸(`·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·*).·´`·»  
«·´¨*·.¸¸. *Baine*.¸¸.·*¨`·»  
«·´`·.(¸.·´(¸.·* *·.¸)`·.¸).·´`·»**


	9. Chapter 9

As We Stumble Along

Chapter 9/?

By Baine

Finished: October 1st, 2007

Posted: March 23, 2008

In this chapter, we bid farewell to Mamoru, Motoki, and Mina, but don't worry: They'll be back again before you know it! This chapter really kicks forward, though, and propels us into the next segment, with an idea I'm surprised I even came up with on my own! It's nice and long(ish), too—11 pages!

***—(number)** _Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story._

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**As We Stumble Along  
Chapter Nine  
****«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

Darkness shrouded the platform outside Sakura Station, but weak light from nearby streetlights made it possible to see.

Umino leaned against the side of a vending machine, eyes riveted on Mamoru, who was half-shrouded by the night. "Why won't you tell us what you said to Usagi earlier?" he asked, watching his friend drain a bottle of tea.

"'Cause it isn't any of your business."

"It's not like we won't find out sooner or later anyway."

"So go ask your friend. Don't girls tell each other everything?"

"If that were the case, we'd already know."

Mamoru let out an agitated sigh as he turned his back, concealing his face completely as he walked closer to the edge of the platform. "When did you become such a gossip, Umino? I'd expect it from Minako or 'Toki, but not you."

"If you hurt her, I'll be really mad."

"What are you talking about?" Mamoru asked, turning to face Umino once more.

"If you asked her to do something stupid that'll embarrass her—"

"Look, I didn't, okay? Why do you care, anyway?"

"She's my friend."

"Yeah, well, I thought I was, too."

"You are."

"So stop getting on my case. I said it wasn't anything bad, and it's not. You've been my friend for a long time now. Why don't you know me better than that?"

Umino pulled back and analyzed his friend's taut face. Something had changed, but he couldn't figure out what. Was this his fault? In his pursuit for knowledge, was he alienating the friendships he'd been nurturing since childhood?

"Mamoru," he began, unsure how to continue. He watched helplessly as the other teen shoved his hands into his pants pockets and turned to face the train tracks once more.

"Thinking of jumping, man?" Motoki grinned as he strode across the platform and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "At least wait for the next train to pass so that we can board without having to wait for your sorry ass to get scraped off the tracks."

Mamoru pivoted, the solemn look on his face disappearing as he raised an eyebrow at his sandy-haired friend. "If that happened, you'd be too busy making out with Minako to even notice."

"Right, like stopping at the conbini to buy snacks was just an excuse." Minako rolled her eyes as she held out the plastic bag dangling from her fingers. ***—1**

Motoki laughed. "Minako would only make out with me with me if I looked like an old man."

"Old man?" Umino asked, quirking an eyebrow. Minako had always been...eccentric when it came to dating, but she'd always thought ill of the girls who had Sugar Daddies. ***—2**

Minako made at face at Motoki and proclaimed, "He isn't old. 'Toki's just jealous he doesn't have my full attention anymore."

"Dude, he's our _teacher_, Mins. Of course he's old!"

Umino's eyebrows rose even higher. "You're dating a teacher?"

"No, but even if I _was_, he's not a real teacher—yet, anyway. He's doing his student teaching at our school. He's in his early twenties." She stuck her tongue out at Motoki and grimaced. ***—3**

"Coulda fooled me with that white hair of his."

"We're so not getting into this again." Rolling her eyes, Minako turned toward Umino with a pleading look. "You see what I have to put up with now that you're not around?"

Umino grinned, his eyes alight with mirth. "I dunno, Mins, I'd probably be joining in on the fun. I mean, I'm not really a girl for you to side with."

"Oh, you're no help," she stated huffily, digging through her plastic bag for a box of Pucca. ***—4**

Umino smiled as he listened to his friends' playful banter. He'd missed this; everything from ganging up on Minako to being able to—well, be himself without fearing he'd screw up and reveal his identity. He swallowed hard as he heard the bells being ringing to signal the approaching train. "So, um, when are you going to come down again to visit?" he asked, suddenly feeling a pang of loss.

"Well, definitely in December for the Knowledge Competition with Usagi," Mamoru mused. "There's the Labor Day holiday at the end of the month, but it's right before an exam, so..." ***—5**

"Hey, next month isn't so far away. Besides, it gives us time to figure out what you told Usagi earlier."

Mamoru smirked and carelessly raised a hand into the air as he stepped onto the train that had just pulled up.

Umino narrowed his eyes. "Find out what he's up to, yeah?"

Minako laughed and squeezed his shoulder. "We'll try. You know how tight-lipped he can be, though."

"Unfortunately."

"Call me if you need anything, okay?"

"I will."

The trio said their good-byes, then Umino watched as Motoki and Minako boarded and sat down across from Mamoru. The train hadn't even pulled away, yet he already missed his friends.

He stood on the platform until the train started up and disappeared from sight, then slowly headed back toward the parking lot, trekking across to the nearby bus stop at the end of the street. As he approached the bench, he was surprised to see a girl hunched over her knees, vibrant red-hair impossible not to notice as it spilled across her shoulders like dark ink.

"Naru?" he asked, shocked by her presence. "What are you doing here? I thought you left with the others."

"I didn't want you to go back alone, so I waited for you."

"Why didn't you come to the station with us, then?"

"I didn't want to be a third wheel while you said good-bye to your friends from home. I would have felt awkward."

"But now I feel bad because you sat out here in the cold."

"It's only a little nippy. Besides, you didn't even know I was here. This was my decision, so don't feel bad."

Umino sat down next to the petite girl, unsure of how to reply. Instead, he glanced up into the star-studded sky. "It sure is beautiful out here. The night is so much clearer compared to the city. It's like the sky is bigger, more...infinite."

Naru glanced up as well. "I guess I'm used to it. I grew up in a really rural town. Instead of skyscrapers on every corner, we had rice fields."

He laughed appreciatively. "What have you been doing out here all this time?"

"Just thinking."

"About?"

She shrugged. "Nothing in particular."

After a moment, he glanced over at her again. Why did he feel so nervous? Breaking the silence, he stuttered, "So, um, you did pretty well today."

"You didn't do so badly yourself."

"I'm glad we won. We all put so much effort into everything."

"Yeah." She tilted her head up once more, the pale light of the moon illuminating her face and giving her an ethereal appearance. Suddenly, a wide smile split her face in two as she pointed upward and proclaimed, "Umi, look, a shooting star!"

Watching the glowing ball journey across the sky, he closed his eyes and thought, _Let me make it to graduation with all of my friends at my side._

"What did you wish for?" Naru asked, turning Umino's attention toward her once more.

"Oh, um, it's a secret. If I tell, it won't come true."

Naru smiled, but it wasn't reflected in her eyes. "Well, hopefully our wishes will come true." She fiddled with the edge of her shirt, and silence ensued once more.

Sighing over his inability to break the tension, Umino pulled his glasses from his face and began to wipe the lenses.

"Hey, Umi? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?" His breath caught in his throat, which had suddenly gone dry. He moved to put his glasses back on, but Naru put her fingers on his wrist and pulled his hand back down, causing him to freeze. Her touch seared his skin, sending goosebumps up his arms.

"Why don't you wear contacts?"

"Huh?" his mouth gaped open as he stared over at her. Of all the questions she could have asked him, he hadn't been expecting that one.

"It's just that you have really pretty eyes. Why do you hide them?"

He swallowed nervously, his Adam's Apple bobbing in his throat. "Well, er—because I can't see if I don't?"

She tilted her head curiously. "You don't seem to be having any trouble seeing me right now."

Umino mentally slapped himself, remembering that he still clutched his glasses in the palm of his hand. "I can't really see you, though. You're just a red blur."

Naru self-consciously brought her free hand to her head. "At least it's good for something."

"I didn't mean it in a bad way, Naru. I like your hair. It's a pretty color."

She flushed, but shook her head. "I didn't mean it like that. Anyway, we're not talking about me at the moment. You wore contacts earlier for the performance. That's how I noticed, actually. When I removed your mask, I could see all these colors floating around in them. It was like looking into a rainbow."

He laughed, embarrassed. "I've never heard hazel described quite like that before."

"Well, it's true. They're really lovely, Umi. You shouldn't hide them."

Umino wet his lips as his mind rushed to come up with a reply. "Um, honestly? Er, I don't know, I guess, er...I don't really like the idea of sticking my fingers into my eyes? Plus, I study so much that my pupils get irritated really easily. They're rather sensitive, and because my prescription is so heavy, my glasses are really thick. I wore them for the show, but I still couldn't see well because they don't make perspective lenses for people as blind as I am." He quelled the notion to wipe the sweat from the nape of his neck. Had she bought it?

"Can I try your glasses on?"

"What for?"

"I'm curious to see how bad your eyesight is."

"I'd rather you didn't. The last time someone did, they got really dizzy because there was such a big difference in vision."

"Did they wear glasses themselves?"

"Um, no?" he shot her a strange look. What kind of question was that?

"Well, it's just that I wear glasses too, so it probably wouldn't be as big of a jump for me."

"You wear glasses?" he gaped at her in surprise.

"Sure do. Well, contacts, actually, but same difference. I'm not as near-sighted as you are, though."

Umino stared at Naru, still reeling from her revelation. Before he could come up with another excuse, the bus arrived, saving him from the current course of conversation.

As he climbed onto the bus and grabbed a ticket, he made a mental not to get a real pair of his younger brother's glasses. It would never do to have someone find out his lenses were fake and that he could see perfectly fine. If the truth was ever discovered, his identity would be revealed for sure. ***—6**

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

The smell of charcoal permeated the air, eliciting a rumble from Umino's already-hungry belly.

Stepping into the enclosed pool area, he was hit by a wave of warmth, a nice change from the chilliness that had begun to settle over Tokyo. "Wow, it feels really good in here," he said, looking around in awe.

"Yeah, well, how else could they keep the pool open all winter? We'd freeze!" Usagi grinned as she played with her purse strap.

Umino looked up at the covered ceiling, the cloudy-white awning clear enough to allow the sun to flicker through. "I've never seen anyone create a type of greenhouse around an outdoor pool before."

"It's really cool, isn't it? Our school is pretty famous for our pool."

"Isn't it expensive to do this every year?"

Usagi nonchalantly rolled her shoulders. "I've never really thought about it before. I'm sure the school keeps and re-uses all of the pieces and stuff. They probably spend more to keep it heated and running, but I'd rather swim here than at an indoor pool. It just doesn't have the same feeling as an indoor pool, you know?"

"Aren't pools all the same?"

"Well, technically, but outdoors, don't you feel...freer, I guess? More...at one with nature? Indoor pools are so much more sterile. The lighting is harsh, there's nothing but linoleum and tile beneath your feet, and because of the way the room is enclosed, the smell of chlorine is absolutely overpowering. To me, an outdoor pool is much more natural and relaxing."

"I guess so. I never really thought about it before."

Tossing her belongings onto a nearby lounge-chair, Usagi shot him a sympathetic look. "I probably wouldn't either if I'd had the same traumatic experiences with water you did."

Umino made a noncommittal sound, quelling the urge to look longingly at the swishing water behind him. He hadn't been swimming in so long and the sight was all-too tempting. Trying to push it from his mind, he asked, "How did the school come up with this idea, anyway?"

"Oh, that? A few years ago, we had a girl at our school who was a genus. She was on the Swim Team and even placed first at Nationals. If she'd continued to swim for sport, she would probably have ended up at the Olympics, but she quit upon entering university to focus on her career. She's a famous medical researcher now, which is really hard work. In fact, she just made a breakthrough discovery on stem-cell research this past summer.

"Stem cell—" Umino's eyes widened. "Wait, you don't mean Mizuno Ami, do you?"

"Yeah, actually," Usagi replied, face alight with curiosity. "You know her?"

"I know of her. Her work is amazing. I want a job like hers after university. It's one of the reasons I transferred here."

"Wow, really? I didn't know that. How cool!" Playfully tilting her head and causing her golden hair to cascade past her shoulders, she added, "Of course, to become her disciple, you need to bring out your inner mermaid." She grinned as she poked his shoulder.

Turning to analyze his surroundings once more, Umino mused, "So she designed a place where she could swim year-round?" She really was a genius. Even he wasn't creative enough to consider combining a pool with a green house in order to preserve it during the winter.

"Yep. Pretty cool, don't you think?"

"Definitely."

Walking over to the grills at the other end of the pool, the duo stopped to fill their plates with food. Umino chose a slice of pork, one of chicken, and a couple rings of squid, watching in amusement as Usagi loaded her plate with meat.

"Got enough there, Usa? Save room for other food, too, yeah?" he grinned as he added eggplant and cobbed corn to his plate, then topped everything off with some udon before bringing his plate to one of the people working the grill.

"Hey guys!"

Turning with a start, Umino smiled down at his petite roommate. "Hey Naru, what's up?"

"Eh, not much. I brought you guys a present."

"A present? Really? What?" Usagi bounced up and down, spitting out questions without waiting for a reply.

Laughing at her friend's audacity, Naru held out a plate of food. "I figured you guys would be hungry and meat takes a while to cook, so I had them grill us some yaki-onigiri." ***—7**

"Wow, thanks," Usagi exclaimed, grabbing one of the balls and shoveling it into her mouth. "Thesh ish rerry gooh," she proclaimed, her words indecipherable as she sprayed rice while continuing to talk and chew.

"Ew, Usagi!" Naru crinkled her nose as she wiped a grain of rice from her chin. "Don't talk with your mouth full."

"Yah, yah, waatevah," Usagi mumbled, swallowing and reaching for another onigiri.

Grinning mischievously, Naru inched her way backward until she was at the edge of the pool. Watching Usagi stalk toward her, she moved out of the way at the last minute, causing her blonde-haired friend to stumble as her heel came in contact with the edge of the pool.

Flailing for something to hold onto as she struggled to maintain her balance, Usagi grabbed onto Umino, bringing him alongside her as she fell into the water.

Sputtering as he rose to the surface, Umino pushed wet strands of hair off his face as he struggled to see through his misty glasses.

Hearing someone gasp out his name in shock, he glanced up at Naru, who stood at the edge of the pool with her hand covering her mouth, the plate of onigiri scattered at her feet as she stared down at the wet t-shirt now clinging to Umino's chest.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

Now there's a cliff-hanger for you, ne?

Whee, lots of Cultural Notes this time around. Sorry about that!

**Cultural Note #1: **A conbini is what a convenience store is called in Japan. In the US, Wawa and 7-11 are two popular convenience stores. In Japan, there are also 7-11 stores, actually, but the two most popular conbini stores are the chains Family Mart and Lawson's. At a Japanese conbini, you can even pay your bills such as electricity and mobile phone by going to the register with the stub. You can also use a special kiosk machine to purchase things from Amazon Japan or to buy tickets for things such as Disney World, etc. It's really amazing!

**Cultural Note #2: **In Japan, brand name clothing, accessories, etc. are very popular. For young females, it is very hard to afford such things unless you are rich. There are many girls who will accept what is most closely called a Sugar Daddy in English. He'll give her material goods, and she'll pay him back in...other ways. This phenomenon is especially prevalent in larger cities such as Tokyo where there is high pressure to be fashionable.

**Cultural Note #3: **There _is_ student teaching in Japan, but it is for a much-shorter period of time than it is in, say, the United States. It's usually only for 4-8 weeks, and then a teacher is thrust into a classroom. There are no substitute teachers, though. If a teacher is absent, the other teachers have to cover. Usually, the students will have another class instead or do silent work, depending on the teacher, subject, etc. A teacher usually only transfers in mid-year if someone goes on maternity leave, has to leave unexpectedly, or additional help is needed at some point, otherwise, they have to wait until April to begin teaching. The teaching system in Japan is also unique in the fact that a teacher in not allowed to stay at the same school for more than four to six years (it varies from area to area. In my area, it's six years) and will be transferred at some point by the Board of Education. Sometimes, they have to leave earlier, but they rarely ever have a choice in when or where they'll go. They find out if they'll be transferred in March right before the school year ends, and they'll give a farewell speech at the closing ceremonies, then clear out their desks when the students have a break before the new school year starts in April.

**Cultural Note #4: **Pucca is a type of Japanese candy/sweet. It is shaped like a goldfish, but the shell is more of a pretzel-like substance. Inside, there is usually a chocolate-filling. _Oishii-sou, ne?_

**Cultural Note #5: **Labor Day is on November 23rd each year. It is a national holiday, so people always have off of work on this day. The nice thing about Japanese holidays is that if the day falls on a Sunday, you get Monday off from work. If it falls on a Saturday, you don't get an extra day, though. Holidays are the best when they fall on a Friday or a Sunday because you get a three-day weekend and can plan mini-vacations. Because this year's Labor Day [2007] is on a Friday and we get three-days, I randomly had theirs be a three-day as well, even though they won't be able to get together.

**Cultural Note #6: **In Japan, there are usually two doors to a bus: One in the front and one in the middle. You board the middle door and get off at the front of the bus. When getting onto the bus, you either take a bus ticket or you swipe your bus pass. There is a board at the front of the bus with numbers. Your ticket matches one of the numbers, so you know how much to pay when you get off the bus. If you have a pass, it's calculated automatically and removed electronically from your card. Most of the single-door buses are long-distance buses, while city buses tend to have one exit point and one entrance point due to making more stops and having more fare rates and all.

**Cultural Note #7: **Yaki-onigiri is almost exactly like regular onigiri (Onigiri is a rice ball, by the way). Yaki means that something is grilled, so basically, if you take a riceball, slather it with some soy sauce, and stick it on the grill, you get yaki-onigiri. You should try it! Mm, DELICIOUS!

**Author's Note: **Okay, I wasn't expecting to have Ami enter this chapter—or a sort of greenhouse set-up in order to continue using a pool, for that matter. When I realized that it was November for the characters, the idea came to me. Perhaps it's because I went to the indoor SeaGaia Ocean Dome in Miyazaki last week over the three-day holiday? (Yep, there's a holiday for the autumn equinox here! There's one for the vernal equinox, too. It is common to visit the graves of your ancestors at this time, etc.) I'm not sure, but it really seems like an idea that a water-loving genius like Ami would come up with, doesn't it? I really like how this story is shaping up and I have so much more planned for it. I'm having a lot of fun writing this, and I hope my few readers are enjoying it as well!

As always, a special, special thank you to my Squishy, who never has any spare time, but still looks this over for me. *loves you*

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or Email ladybaine at gmail dot com today!

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or Email ladybaine at gmail dot com today!

**«·´`·.(*·.¸(`·.¸¸.·´)¸.·*).·´`·»  
«·´¨*·.¸¸.*Baine*.¸¸.·*¨`·»  
«·´`·.(¸.·´(¸.·* *·.¸)`·.¸).·´`·»**


	10. Chapter 10

As We Stumble Along

Chapter 10/?

By Baine

Finished: May 7, 2008

Posted: June 1, 2008

**Notes:** A special thank you to **StarzAngelus** for helping me out with the Physics stuff and showing me a webpage from FSU's homepage that had further information as well as the figures for the Refraction Index. Your help was absolutely appreciated!

Again, this is another chapter that I haven't run past a beta, though now, it's more because I feel bad asking for her help! -laughs-

Also, if you have anything you'd like to see happen during Usagi and Mamoru's competition, please tell me! I'm looking for ideas on that one atm, so it's very likely that I can accommodate you. :)

***—(number)** _Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story._

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**As We Stumble Along  
Chapter Ten  
****«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

Floundering in the water, Umino sank down so no one could see through his clothing. Had Naru seen something she shouldn't have? Is that why she'd looked so shocked?

He wanted to check and make sure everything was still in place, but he was afraid it wouldn't be. His bra was custom-made with jelly-inserts, though, so it wasn't as though he'd have paper hanging out of his shirt or look deflated or something, right? Would it look suspicious if he checked to make sure?

"Umi, are you okay? I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..."

Umino flinched as Usagi came up beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "It—It's okay, Usagi," he ground out, searching the area for Naru, who had disappeared from sight. Swallowing hard, he stood and waded to the ladder, careful not to swim and show off his ability.

Climbing out, he was surprised to find Naru walking over to him, a rainbow-colored towel cradled in her arms.

"Here," she said, draping it across his shoulders, her face suddenly in close proximity to his own. "I figured you didn't bring a towel since you weren't planning to swim, so you can use mine."

"Th—Thanks." He searched her eyes for hints of what she was thinking about, but couldn't decipher what he was seeing.

Returning Umino's gaze and noticing how near they were to one another, Naru quickly pulled back, a confused look creeping across her face as a pink flush spread across her cheeks. "I'll, uh—just go check on if the food is ready yet. You can stay here and dry off, okay?"

He nodded in acquiescence, still numb with shock. Had she seen something or not? Why had she rushed off so quickly? Arranging the towel so it covered his chest, he waited for Usagi to emerge from the pool before stating that he needed to go to the bathroom really fast.

Once inside the small room, he glanced into the mirror and accessed the damage. Pushing his hair back into place, he was surprised to see he didn't look any more masculine than usual. Tentatively touching his chest, he was relieved to find that everything was still aligned properly. His faux pas hadn't been that big after all. Pressing his forehead to the mirror, he slowly let out his breath, an action that caused the glass to fog over.

Staring into his own eyes, he wondered, "Can I do this anymore? Is it really worth all this stress and worry?"

"Umi, are you okay in here?" Naru's voice echoed through the small room as the door creaked open.

Pulling away from the mirror, Umino quickly twisted the faucet and began washing his hands. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I was worried. You looked so...lost out there."

"I did?"

"Yeah. You know, even though you don't want to wear a suit and can't really swim due to your shoulder, you could still wade around the shallow end in your clothes. We wouldn't laugh or anything."

Umino offered her a weak smile. "Thanks for the suggestion, Naru, but really, I'm fine. I don't mind watching you all from dry land."

"Well, if you change your mind later, that's okay, too, y'know?"

"All right, thanks."

"Anyway, the food is ready now. What do you say we get out there before Usagi gobbles it all up?"

Umino laughed and agreed before heading back out to face his classmates, no longer sure what he wanted.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

"Hey, Umi, you remember Kokoro's roommate Rina, right?" Usagi asked, her voice muffled due to the magazine she held near her face.

"Yeah, why?"

"I was thinking—"

"Uh-oh, better call the cops."

"Har-har. Anyway, you and Rina are the smartest girls in our grade, so I thought it would be cool if we could merge our study-groups together."

"But Usagi, you hate studying. Besides, they don't have all of the same teachers we do, so the material might be slightly different."

"But that's what will make it fun. We'll have access to information we may never otherwise know."

Umino peered down at the girl sprawled across his carpet. "This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with that bet you made with Mamoru a week ago, would it?"

"Ehehe, of course not, silly. Whatever gave you that idea?" Usagi brought her magazine closer to her face and quickly began flipping through the pages.

"Just a hunch," he replied, amused by the blonde's antics.

"Well, maybe I just want to do better on tests so I can get Rei off my case. I'm sick of all the dumb blonde jokes."

"Well, if you want to get better marks, you have to start studying and stop reading—" he tilted his head upside down to look at the title of her magazine, "_Love Berry_." ***-1**

"Hey, the latest fashions are just as—if not more—important than things like ancient history."

"And there lies your problem, Usa. You have to study the 'boring' stuff, too."

"Whoever invented that rule deserves to be shot."

Umino chuckled in appreciation. "Are you sure this isn't about Mamoru?"

"Of course. I never think about that pig if I can help it."

"So why have you been reading your magazine upside-down for the past twenty minutes?"

"To see the pictures better, of course. This season, upside-down prints are very in."

"How could I have forgotten?" The corner of Umino's moth twitched, but he maintained a straight face.

"So, do you mind if I ask Rina about merging our study groups together?"

"If she doesn't care, neither do I."

"Oh, thank you, Umi!" USagi sat up with a squeal, her magazine flying to the ground as she sprung to her feet and launched herself at Umino, causing him to fall backward against his mattress.

"Oof," he grunted, his face turning purple as Usagi's strong grip cut off his air circulation. "Usagi...can't...breathe..."

"Ooh, right." She quickly let go, blushing as she dropped her hands to her side. "Ehehe, sorry about that."

"No problem," he replied, sitting up with a grimace and raising a hand to the back of his head.

Looking over at Usagi's flushed face, he shifted and leaned away from her. It wasn't every day a gorgeous girl tackled him on his bed—not that he could do anything about the fact.

Struggling to keep his voice from breaking, Umino stated, "So, uh, shouldn't you go talk to Rina, then?"

"Yeah, she should be in her room now." Jumping off the bed as quickly as she'd leapt onto it, she grabbed her magazine from the floor and yelled, "Thanks, Umi!" as she sailed out the door in a whirlwind of motion.

Chuckling ruefully, Umino leaned back against his pillow and found the page he'd been on in his textbook. He'd never known being around girls on a prolonged basis could be so...eventful. One thing was for sure: His life had definitely grown more interesting since he'd enrolled at Sakura Kita.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**Cultural Note #1:** _Love Berry _is a fashion magazine in Japan. I chose this one in salute to some of the actresses who filmed PGSM, since a few of them were LB models. ^_^

**Author's Note:** Wow, Usagi is turning out to be the least OOC according to anime-standards. This really amuses me because I rarely write Usagi with her anime features—whining, over-eating, silliness/fun-loving, acting innocent when she's guilty, etc. Of course, anime-Usagi was never so smart, but I have to draw the line somewhere, ne? This is turning out to be quite an experiment for me! I really do enjoy writing this fic. It's so different from my normal fare, and I'm simply having a blast!

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or Email ladybaine at gmail dot com today!

**«·´`·.(*·.¸(`·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·*).·´`·»  
«·´¨*·.¸¸. *Baine*.¸¸.·*¨`·»  
«·´`·.(¸.·´(¸.·* *·.¸)`·.¸).·´`·»**


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